Electoral Revision and the Crisis of Citizenship in India

Electoral Revision and the Crisis of Citizenship in India: Democracy is Measured by its Protection of the Vulnerable, not by Exclusion

India is neither Nazi Germany nor Myanmar, and historical comparisons should never be employed simplistically. However, comparative political sociology reveals a recurring lesson: when citizenship becomes tied to ideological notions of national authenticity, minorities disproportionately bear the burden of proving belonging.

Will the Cockroach Eventually Take to the Streets? Defining Political Question Haunts World's Largest Democracy

The BJP is winning elections at the level of the state through sophisticated identity coalitions and institutional leverage. Gen Z is winning the internet through a combination of genuine grievance, cultural fluency, and the particular humor of people who have been told they are useless and decided to make art out of it.

A Mature Democracy Must be Confident Enough to Hear Youth Anger: Domestic Unrest can Become Global Politics in Hours

Democracies need dissent. Young Indians have every right to demand credible examinations, transparent recruitment, accountable institutions and a responsive government. To delegitimise all youth anger as foreign manipulation would be intellectually lazy and politically dangerous. But it is equally naive to pretend that geopolitics ends at the border of domestic protest.

Making Workplaces Safer in South Asia: Prevention Less Costly than Catastrophe

Workplace accidents impose costs far beyond the immediate loss of life and injury. Families lose breadwinners, enterprises suffer productivity losses, projects face delays and governments incur healthcare and compensation costs. The social consequences can be particularly severe for migrant and informal workers

More on Public Policy and Governance

Law must be tempered by justice: CJI Ramana’s observations will restore Indians’ faith in higher judiciary

The Chief Justice of India (CJI), N.V. Ramana, struck a resounding note about the interpretation of the understanding of law per se, when he observed that “It can be used not only to render justice, it can also be used to justify oppression.”

Female genital mutilation: Controversial tweet reignites debate in the Maldives

A tweet by a university professor in the Maldives, detailing the benefits (sic) of female genital mutilation (FGM) - a regressive socio-religious practice where the clitoris of a female is removed physically for non-medical reasons-- has sparked controversy in the Indian Ocean archipelago, with many calling for banning the professor from using social media platform

Pakistan's culture wars: Liberal-conservative faceoff over PM Imran Khan's alleged sexist remarks

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, once known as a "ladies' man",  continues to draw flak over comments perceived as sexist, but party’s women leaders have sprung to his defense calling him a "symbol of women's empowerment"

Sad plight of Afghan refugee children in Pakistan

Pakistan hosts around 2.8 million Afghan refugees, the second biggest refugee population after Syrians in Turkey

Bright Bangladeshi business graduates now head multinationals, leading big brands

There was a time when multinational companies and big brands used to only employ foreign nationals to lead the organization in Bangladesh

Nepali Army Inc. - from catering to education

The Nepali Army’s foray into the education sector for running a course in agriculture for the public has drawn criticism with observers saying there has to be a line drawn on what the defense forces should and should not do

Containing Covid: Need for global vaccination effort

Even as the Covid  pandemic numbers  are declining in India, there is growing concern that new mutations of the virus – particularly the Delta variant,  with its super-spreader qualities, could soon pose a global challenge later in the year

'Hidden agenda' behind low Christian and miniority numbers in Pakistan?

Pakistan’s Christian community leaders have voiced their doubt about the results of the sixth population and housing census-2017 about the population of minorities in the country

Lockdown woes: Child marriage, sexual violence on rise in Nepal

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of humans in unprecedented ways

An environmental disaster off Colombo: Possible lapses in shipping protocols need investigation

The  slow sinking  of the  fire-stricken  Singapore-registered container ship X-Press Pearl off Colombo port, almost on the eve of World Environment Day June 5, has the potential to turn into a major  environmental disaster for Sri Lanka and neighbouring India

Children had quarrel with neighbors; Christian parents in Pakistan spend eight years in prison for blasphemy

Having spent eight years in prison for a crime they never committed, for this Pakistani Christian couple justice has finally was served, but after a long, grueling wait, and at a heavy cost