Why Policy Circle?
India produces more economic commentary than serious policy analysis. Every policy announcement is reported, debated and quickly replaced by the next one. What is often missing is a serious examination of whether the policy will work. That is the space Policy Circle seeks to occupy. It looks beyond the announcement to the design of the policy, the interests it serves, the institutions expected to implement it and the results it is likely to produce.
This is important because public policy is rarely what it claims to be. A larger allocation does not guarantee better outcomes. A new scheme may merely rename an old one. An industrial policy can protect producers without making them competitive. A welfare programme can expand rapidly while failing the people who need it most.
Policy Circle brings economists, former administrators, researchers, industry specialists and development practitioners into the discussion. The result is a wider view of the economy than is usually available in either the financial press or academic journals.
Its concerns extend beyond growth rates and stock markets. Employment, trade, public finance, agriculture, health, education, energy and climate policy are part of the same economic story. They cannot be understood in isolation.
The publication does not assume that every government measure is a reform, or that every criticism of government policy is sound. The test is evidence, institutional experience and economic logic.
For policymakers, Policy Circle offers informed opinion from outside government. For business, it provides a clearer view of the forces shaping regulation and markets. For the serious reader, it offers something increasingly difficult to find – argument without noise.
The daily news tells readers what happened. Policy Circle tries to explain what it means.
Advisory Board
Aruna Sharma
Dr Aruna Sharma is a Delhi-based economist and policy analyst. She is an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1982 batch. In 2018, she retired as secretary, ministry of steel, government of India. Earlier in her career, she worked as secretary, ministry of electronics and information technology (MEITY) and as additional chief secretary, Madhya Pradesh government. She earned her PhD in development economics from Delhi University.
Charan Singh
Dr Charan Singh is a renowned expert in monetary policy, banking and international trade. He is the chief executive of EGROW Foundation, a Noida-based think tank. He is also the Non Executive Chairman of Punjab & Sind Bank. He has served as RBI Chair professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore between December 2012 and December 2016. Earlier in his career, he has worked as a Senior Economist at the Independent Evaluation Office of the International Monetary Fund and as Research Director with the Reserve Bank of India. He earned his PhD in economics from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Venkatesh Raghavendra
Venkatesh “Venky” Raghavendra is a social entrepreneur with over three decades of philanthropy, development and policy experience. He has successfully built global partnerships and mobilized significant resources for a number of international and national organizations. Currently he is Senior Vice-President at Safe Water Network. Venky was formerly the Chief Philanthropy Officer at the New York-based American India Foundation, global Managing Director at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. He writes frequently on social issues, and currently teaches social entrepreneurship and social innovation.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkatesh-r-05519330/
The Team
Anil Nair (Editor and CEO)
Anil Nair is a journalist and commentator based in New Delhi. Previously, he has served as editor of financialexpress.com and as the executive editor of public broadcaster Rajya Sabha TV. He also had stints with the Economic Times, the Times of India, Hindustan Times, Times Internet and Business Standard.
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anil-nair-3105/
Sajna Nair (Co-founder and Business Head)
Sajna is a management professional with stints at Standard Chartered Bank, HCL Technologies and GE Capital. She has hands-on experience in customer experience, strategy and administration
Resmi P Bhaskaran (Head, Research)
Resmi specialises in policy research, knowledge management and strategy. She has proven expertise in areas such as education, migration, livelihood, financial inclusion and urbanisation. She did her doctoral research at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Prachi Gupta (Assistant Editor)
Prachi is a post graduate in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College For Women, Delhi University. She started her career as a correspondent with financialexpress.com. She specialises in policy impact studies.