Centre for Comparative Studies

January 8, 2021

What is behind the Recurring Onion Price Spikes?

To Indians, nothing can bring more tears to the eyes than an onion price hike. After all, it has led to the fall of governments and inflicted debilitating losses on farmers in the last few years. But what really baffles […]
January 8, 2021

Erdogan and Turkey’s Quest for Neo-Ottoman Empire

“We will never bow to banditry on our continental shelf, nor will we pull back in the face of sanctions and threats,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan once while talking about his country. Erdogan, a Turkish politician serving as the current […]
January 5, 2021

Will the Left Government Create History in Kerala?

The Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI(M)]-led Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) sweeping win in the local body elections this year was a morale booster for the ruling government, and foretells a clear edge for the incumbent in the upcoming Assembly elections. […]
May 28, 2020

Some COVID Thoughts

A PDS Discussion (May 23)One could see long queues these days not only in front of the BEVCO outlets but also in front of the Ration Shops (PDS). As a public policy researcher, I was curious to understand the reasons […]
April 3, 2020

India’s Lockdown: Partial Success is Total Failure

Democracy is government by discussion. The India Government, in announcing the nationwide lockdown in response to the global coronavirus blitzkrieg, appeared to have rewritten this definition. It now reads: democracy is government by action. This invariably leads to two questions: […]
March 23, 2020

Water Conservation and Agricultural Policies

The agriculture sector in our nation has always enjoyed the privilege of being a vital part of our economic structure and with almost 160 million hectare of land under cultivation, the sector employs the majority of our population. Though the […]
March 6, 2020

Social Media Shaping Political Opinion and Impacting Poll Campaigns

Diminishing readership of the print media and the entry of smartphones have strengthened social media’s role in shaping political narratives. In a way, it has become a linkage between the governing body and those who are governed, with people feeling […]
January 22, 2020

India’s Act East Policy Post RCEP

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has gained a lot of attention because of various ongoing trade wars around the world. The agreement can even bolster ties among the participating nations. So, does India’s withdrawal from the RCEP affect its […]
January 13, 2020

How Does Critical Thinking Promote Creativity?

When one hears the word ‘critical thinking’, the first thing that comes to the mind may be the negative connotations attached to it. This is because the focus is on the word and one assumes that thinking critically must be […]
January 9, 2020

India’s Approach to Rohingya Refugee Crisis

In the recent meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Haseena and Narendra Modi, both the leaders agreed on the need for greater efforts to facilitate the “safe return of Rohingya refugees”. This declaration came even after the UN fact-finding mission […]
December 3, 2019

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019

Tansgender is defined as a person whose gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at the time of his/her birth. Tansgender includes trans man or trans woman, a person with intersex variations, queer and a person […]
November 7, 2019

How is NRC Shaping a New Identity?

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register maintained by the Government of India containing names and relevant information for identification of Indian citizens of the state of Assam. The first NRC was compiled in 1951, after the Census […]
October 30, 2019

How Can Congestion Pricing Solve Traffic Woes?

The term ‘congestion pricing’ is used to describe a distance, area or cordon-based road user charging policy around congested areas to reduce the use of private vehicles and increase the use of public transportation. Congestion pricing is also known as […]
October 11, 2019

Powering Kerala’s Electric Vehicles

India is set to move further towards an automobile industry that is primarily electricity powered. The government has introduced certain initiatives in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint in India’s mobility scenario by 2030 and electric vehicles (EVs) are […]
September 25, 2019

Libertarian Principles of Intellectual Property

Libertarianism as a philosophy emerged in an attempt to cure the unfairness that plagues our world. This blog will attempt to question the basis for its very existence, along with assessing the effect of libertarian principles on intellectual property. CPPR […]