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Scanning the policy landscape with active stakeholder mapping
We help clients and partners stay ahead by keeping track of the evolving thinking and policy developments that are likely to affect their sector. We also assist them in identifying key influencers and decision makers to help create an enabling ecosystem. |
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Policy Tracking
Research & Analysis
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Understanding policy impact and proposing alternatives
In the ever changing policy landscape, we help clients visualise the implications of proposed legislation/regulation. We work with them to develop informed positions on key policy issues, find best practices from around the globe, and create policy alternatives that may be presented to law making agencies. |
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Advocacy
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Building powerful messaging to engage with the audience
We help clients and partners build thought leadership by communicating effectively about things that matter. We design communications and advocacy strategies to leverage traditional and new media to bring focus to policy issues. We also create innovative outreach programs to build resonance with stakeholders. |
Opinion
A data story on female child marriage in India
A data story on female child marriage in India
Gender
An attempt at drawing attention to regions in India with high levels of female child marriage, as well as discussing potential solutions to address the problem.
The need for PC-level data in India’s public policy and governance
Creating ‘good’ digital public infrastructure
Tech policy, open digital ecosystems
Looking beyond the ‘tech’ aspects of digital public infrastructure to how it interacts with users as individuals, as collectives, and in societies.
Polio virus resurfaces in 'polio-free' countries: Is India ready?
Polio virus resurfaces in ‘polio-free’ countries: Is India ready?
health
Polio immunisation must continue to be joint effort between central and state governments, and there is a need to look more closely into these trends across PCs and formulate tailored, collaborative interventions to keep India "Polio free"
Creating ‘good’ digital public infrastructure
Creating ‘good’ digital public infrastructure
Tech policy, open digital ecosystems
Looking beyond the ‘tech’ aspects of digital public infrastructure to how it interacts with users as individuals, as collectives, and in societies.
Digital citizenship education could make the internet safer
Digital citizenship education could make the internet safer
Internet safety
It is imperative that future digital citizens are equipped to traverse through the internet landscape safely, smartly and with nuance.
The need for sector-specific safeguards in ‘techade’
The need for sector-specific safeguards in ‘techade’
tech policy
The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill must serve as a basic layer of protection, with sectoral regulators having the ability to build on this.
Accelerating development with India’s digital highways
Accelerating development with India’s digital highways
tech policy, digital public infrastructure
Now is an opportune time to see how we can take our population-scale shared infrastructure to go beyond its role of ‘identifying and authenticating’ to solve for contemporary challenges that are impeding the competitiveness and resilience of the Indian economy.
The tiered system RBI should consider for merchant discount rate charges on digital payments
The tiered system RBI should consider for merchant discount rate charges on digital payments
Digital payments
It seems as if a tussle is brewing between India’s monetary and fiscal authorities.
‘Work-near-home’ centres being developed by the government must at the very least address infrastructure related challenges
Build and redesign flexible work ecosystem to boost women’s employment
gender
‘Work-near-home’ centres being developed by the government must at the very least address infrastructure related challenges.
Needed, a new approach to data protection for minors
Needed, a new approach to data protection for minors
tech policy, data protection
The principles of the ‘best interests of children’ and ‘more responsibility on platforms’ should inform India’s approach to data protection for minors.
The budget missed an opportunity to boost ‘Nari Shakti’
The budget missed an opportunity to boost ‘Nari Shakti’
gender, budget
To realize our ambition of a $10 trillion economy powered by ‘women-led development’, we need gender intentionality built into overall government spending.
Betting big on healthcare
Betting big on healthcare
Healthcare
We discuss lessons from a research study undertaken for the Lancet Citizen’s Commission on Reimagining India’s Health Systems. The study highlights how healthcare came to be seen as a politically viable and electorally rewarding issue in some, but not nearly enough, States.
The safety gaps in UPI payments — and how to plug them
The safety gaps in UPI payments — and how to plug them
digital payments
Despite the ‘openness’ of the UPI architecture, a concentration of market power in the UPI ecosystem is no secret.
IT Rules amendments
IT Rules: Content moderation, an alternative
Intermediary liability, Tech Policy
While the amendments being proposed are well-intentioned, they are likely to present many operational challenges for businesses and the government, besides risking the freedom of speech of India’s digital citizens.
HSA Property Rights
Root out the prejudices in the Hindu Succession Act
Gender, Property Rights
We owe it to India’s daughters and their parents the same right to care for each other and be cared for by each other as we have for sons in our society, in life or in death.
Digital payments
Will India pay for RBI’s hurry?
Digital Payments
Even though RBI’s no-card-storage norms are well-intentioned, a hurried transition can end up disrupting digital payments in 2022, adversely affecting both customers as well as merchants.
Budget ODE oped
Filling the gaps in India’s digital push
Public Service Delivery, Tech, Budget
India has embarked on a unique journey of tech led service delivery and this is reinforced through commitments in the 2022 Union Budget. It is now critical to shift the focus to the ‘non-tech’ layers of our digital infrastructure, by prioritizing principles of data protection, universal access and accountability.
Digital diplomacy
India’s road to a digital El-Dorado
Digital Public Goods, Diplomacy
From supporting countries in setting up their own digital ID and payments systems to sharing CoWin know-how, India's recent collaborations hint at a commitment to building and strengthening its digital diplomacy.
PDP and Startups
Data Protection Bill: Don’t mule the unicorn
Start-ups, Tech Policy
With regulatory ambiguity on key issues, the Indian startup story is at a crossroads today. While the market seems bullish about their prospects, we risk tempting Indian founders to register their startups outside India to avoid onerous compliance.
Bridging the digital divide in education
Bridging the digital divide in education
Education, Tech
By connecting what already exists, the National Digital Educational Architecture (NDEAR) can reimagine the education ecosystem for deploying tailored EdTech solutions speedily, sustainably and at population scale.
Social registries
Social welfare delivery in the digital age
Open Digital Ecosystems
Social registries can help leverage technology to fix delivery gaps, payment leakages, coordination failures, and other inefficiencies that plague our current systems of welfare delivery.
ODE Skilling
Scaling up the ecosystem for job and skill seekers
Skilling, Open Digital Ecosystems
An open digital ecosystem that brings job seekers, employers, skills providers and government agencies can be implemented with ease, with a little help from government and technology.
Gender lens in data governance
Balancing privacy and agency: Data governance needs a gender lens
Gender, Tech Policy
As India moves towards an increasingly digital society, how privacy and data governance laws may impact women’s safety and agency on the internet should not come as an afterthought
Female voting block
The rise of the female voting block
Elections, Gender
More women are voting than before, and this rise in political agency could mean that their rights and issues are no longer an afterthought for policymakers.
Age gating - PDP
In children we must trust
TECH POLICY, AGE-GATING
India’s privacy law must balance the rights of children with online safety. The blanket requirement for parental consent for those aged below 18 years must make way for a graded approach along with a digital literacy curriculum.
Parliament oversight
Restoring the broken oversight mechanisms of Parliament
Parliament, Policymaking
Mandating scrutiny for every bill is not a big ask. It is necessary to uphold the quality of legislation. A strong committee system is probably the only way to ensure Parliament’s relevance in the law-making process.
Svamitva scheme
With design changes, the Svamitva scheme can be a game changer
Property Rights
By providing a Record of Rights (RoRs) to household owners in rural areas, the scheme attempts to create accurate land and property records, which can be pivotal in reducing property-related disputes and facilitating monetisation of assets.
WEE landscape IDR
A call to 'empower' Women Economic Empowerment policies
Gender
To make substantial strides in women’s economic empowerment, it is clear that a gender lens needs to be incorporated at every stage—from policy design to data collection for monitoring and evaluation.
Model Tenancy Act
How the Model Tenancy Act can benefit homeowners and tenants
Property Rights
While the Act is a much-needed reform for India’s housing sector, one hopes that states use this opportunity to unlock the economic value of vacant housing and increase access to good quality housing, for all demographics
Gig workers - gender lens
Social protection for gig workers through a gender lens
Gender, Labour policies
Placing undue financial costs on women’s employers is unlikely to contribute to labour market equality. The state must play a bigger role towards social security for women gig workers.
Fraudulent apps
Safeguarding the unsuspecting user from fraudulent apps
Tech Policy
The presence of fraudulent apps on app stores poses a grave threat to the burgeoning smartphone user community. But removing such apps is not an easy problem to solve
Non personal data - Print Policy Discussions
Unpacking Non Personal Data
Non Personal Data
In partnership with The Print and Network Capital, TQH organized a series of online discussions to deliberate on the proposed governance framework for non-personal data
Regulating Encryption
India’s Traceability Question
Regulating Encryption
Government interception rests upon an uneasy truce between the government/LEA, private companies and civil society activists
Skilling PMKVY
The blindspots in India’s skilling programme
Skilling, PMKVY, NAPS
Our flagship skills development scheme is unable to deliver sustainable outcomes. But an alternative exists
E-commerce Aparajita
India’s e-commerce policy: Adding uncertainty to the cart
National e-commerce Policy
The latest iteration seems more balanced than before, but it kicks all thorny issues down the road
COVID package - first announcement
Will the coronavirus social protection package suffice?
Social Protection
Many measures announced under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana are simply frontloading payments or redirecting funds that had been budgeted for other welfare activities
Menstrual Leave
Paid period leaves - Designing a new framework
Gender, Labour policies
While the intentions of those campaigning for menstrual leave are laudable, we must be cognizant of the unintended consequences that may arise from such a policy
Publications
Intermediary Classification
A Framework for Intermediary Classification in India
Tech
As India prepares a new Digital India Act, this paper takes a fresh look at intermediary classification from a proportionate and risk-based approach to regulation.
The Future of Work
Developing an Inclusive Hybrid Work Policy for India
Labour, Tech
An study that curates emerging evidence on hybrid work, identifies challenges and looks at promising international practices to recommend policy options for India.
Women & work
COVID-19: Gendered Impact on Urban Informal Workers
GENDER, Labour, COVID
A study on the subject of women informal workers - their pre-pandemic vulnerabilities, impact of COVID-19 on their life choices and institutional policy responses in Delhi NCR.
App store regulation
Towards regulating App Stores
TECH, COMPETITION, STARTUPs
A study to assess the competitive landscape in the app store market in India, highlight pressing concerns of developers, and determine the need, if any, for government intervention.
FADA
Levelling the playing field: OEM-Dealer relationships
AUTO
Undertaking a comparative analysis of OEM-dealership agreements in India and abroad, this study makes the case for a policy intervention to safeguard dealer (and consumer) interests in India
Women & work
Women & work: How India fared in 2021
GENDER, Labour Force
A data story on women’s livelihoods and work in the year of 2021 - women’s changing role in the economy, their resilience in the face of the crisis and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Encryption
Regulating Encryption in India
Tech, Privacy
This study envisions a framework that acknowledges the importance of consumer privacy & technological innovation, while not diminishing the role of the government in protecting national security
WEE Landscape
Economic Empowerment of Women – A Policy Landscape
GENDER
Employing a critical gender lens, this study identifies promising exemplars of transformative policies that create an enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment in India
Towards a gender-responsive and inclusive economic recovery for India in the COVID-19 context
A gender-responsive & inclusive economic recovery for India
Economic Recovery, Gender
Suggestions for a macroeconomic recovery framework that places special emphasis on women and girls, including monetary and fiscal policy measures as well as innovative financing options to achieve gender-equitable outcomes.
UEGS
Designing an Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme
Social Security
In the context of the pandemic and its severe impact on livelihoods in urban areas, this study looks at the principles that should underline a gender responsive urban employment guarantee scheme
India’s focus on its youth – Analysis of the Union Budget
India’s focus on its youth – Analysis of the Union Budget
Budget, Fiscal Policy
Despite being home to one of the youngest populations in the world, India spends less than 4% of its annual budget on youth-focused schemes
Saving the economy from COVID-19
COVID - Will India’s 20 lakh crore relief package deliver?
Economic Recovery, Social Security
A detailed analysis of the different measures announced by the Finance Minister, their likely impact on India’s economic recovery and potential challenges in implementation
Menstrual Hygiene
Menstrual Waste Disposal
Sanitation, Sustainability
A study for the NFSSM Alliance to understand the menstrual waste value chain & possible solutions to the ballooning problem of waste disposal
Digital payments
Addressing the barriers to adoption in digital payments
Digital Payments, Tech Policy
The Indian economy is a predominantly cash driven economy. While the penetration of digital payments has increased significantly in the last decade, cash still continues to dominate
EBooks
EBooks: Building Blocks of India’s Knowledge Economy
EDUCATION, TECH, TAXATION
Despite the positive externalities associated with inexpensive books, eBooks are not afforded a favourable tax environment in India
Women Entrepreneurs in Sanitation
Women Entrepreneurs in Sanitation
Entrepreneurship, Gender, Sanitation
Leveraging insights gleaned from ground level case studies, this report advocates for more systematic government support for women entrepreneurs in general and more specifically, in the context of sanitation
Get in touch
If you need any information, please call us at +91-11-4084-5940 or write to us at office(at)thequantumhub.com The office inbox is closely monitored and we usually respond within one working day.
Our office hours are Monday to Friday 10AM to 6PM