The Quantum Hub (TQH) - Public Policy Research & Advocacy

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The Quantum Hub

Impact oriented policy research and advocacy

What we do

Our team

Policy Tracking

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.

Research & Analysis

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.

Advocacy

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.

Blog

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Non-personal data norms: Too much, too soon?

Tech policy

The rationale for government intervention seems unclear. Even if there are positive externalities to data, the proposed NPD framework may impose significant costs on the whole digital economy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

In Budget 2021, youth deserve more

Budget, Youth

India does not spend enough on its young people. If anything, the pandemic has highlighted the need to build the resilience of the youth and place their concerns at the centre stage of policy discussions.

A robust Data Protection Authority can create a solid digital economy

Data Protection

The Parliament must take cognizance of the far-reaching impact of the Data Protection Law and lay the foundation of a robust institution that is transparent, competent, independent, predictable and not-overzealous in its rulemaking

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.

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

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

India’s Traceability Question

Regulating Encryption

Government interception rests upon an uneasy truce between the government/LEA, private companies and civil society activists

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

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

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

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

India needs digital citizenship education

Education, Social Emotional Learning

For far too long, we have parked the blame at technology’s door; the need of the hour is innovative engagement with the youth to make the internet a more hospitable space

Publications

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Women & work: How India fared in 2020

GENDER, Labour Force

A data story on women’s livelihoods and work in the year of COVID-19 - women’s changing role in the economy, their resilience in the face of the crisis and the opportunities that lie ahead.

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 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

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: 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

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