September 19, 2025

Towards a Resilient India: Fiscal Decentralisation and Empowering Local Self-Governments

India’s GST 2.0 reform is a step forward, but true resilience requires fiscal decentralisation to empower local governance and strengthen federalism. India’s ambitious “GST 2.0” reform marks a significant turning point in the country’s tax landscape, promising greater simplicity and […]
September 18, 2025

BRICS in the Evolving Global Order: Geopolitical Challenges and Adopting New Strategies in the Trump Era | FNF Policy Paper

Author: Dr D Dhanuraj, Aleena T Sabu, Adithyan P V The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) coalition has emerged as a powerful bloc in the global economic and geopolitical landscape. The group remained largely off the radar […]
September 17, 2025

QUAD After Trump: India’s Role in Fostering Regional Security | FNF Policy Paper

Author: Gazi Hassan The policy paper, “QUAD after Trump: India’s Role in Fostering Regional Security,” analyzes India’s strategic position within the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), a strategic alliance between India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, in the evolving geopolitical […]
August 28, 2025

EP 63 | India’s Manufacturing Strategy of Multi-Plants | Policy Beyond Politics

    India’s manufacturing sector, despite liberalization and decades of economic reforms, continues to underperform relative to its potential. A recent study, “Multiplying Multi-Plants: A New and Consequential Phenomenon” by Arvind Subramanian, Abhishek Anand, and Dr Naveen Joseph Thomas sheds light […]
August 9, 2025

EP 20 | Diplomacy and Dialogue: Peace Pathways in West Asia | Policy Beyond Borders

      The West Asia region remains one of the most geopolitically sensitive areas in the world, where historical conflicts intertwine with modern political tensions, creating a volatile and uncertain environment. The latest escalation between Iran and Israel has […]
August 8, 2025

AI Policy Challenges and the Indian Approach | FNF-CPPR Policy Paper

Author: Dr D Dhanuraj Trustworthy AI (Artificial Intelligence): A Tool Rooted in an Objective and Balanced Approach To create trustworthy AI (Artificial Intelligence), we need to rethink how autonomous systems interact with society and with other AIs, which differs from […]
August 1, 2025

Assisting KSFDC on Draft Cinema Policy for the State of Kerala

  Context The Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) has officially submitted the Draft Film Policy for the State of Kerala to the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSDFC). This milestone marks the culmination of months of research and consultation […]
June 20, 2025

Iran-Israel Conflict and its Ripple Effects on India

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) initiated Operation Rising Lion on June 13 to strike Iranian nuclear and military facilities, marking a major escalation in the Iran-Israel Conflict   In Short: Israel launches attacks against nuclear and military facilities in Iran, […]
June 12, 2025

EP 19 | Kananaskis & Beyond: Understanding the G7’s Global Impact | Policy Beyond Borders

          G7 Summit 2025: A Defining Moment in Kananaskis, Canada After 23 years, the G7 will reconvene in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, from June 15 to 17, 2025. This summit marks a significant milestone, as it also […]
June 6, 2025

EP 18 | Rebalancing West Asia Alliances: Trump’s Gulf Visit and Its Impact on Regional Powers | Policy Beyond Borders

          Trump’s Gulf Visit: Implications for West Asian Geopolitics and India’s Strategic Calculus   The recent visit of former U.S. President Donald Trump to the Gulf region—marked by meetings with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, […]
May 23, 2025

A Respite for European Centrism? Nicușor Dan Election Victory and Its Ripples Towards India

The Presidential election in Romania saw the Centrist and pro-EU candidate Nicușor Dan clinching victory by securing over 54% of the vote against his Nationalist rival George Simion’s 46%   In Short: Romania Chooses Nicușor Dan The outcome of Romania’s […]
May 12, 2025

FNF-DGAP-CPPR Paper – “Generative AI and its Influence on India’s 2024 Elections”

The paper, “Generative AI and its Influence on India’s 2024 Elections,” authored by D Dhanuraj, Sreelakshmi Harilal, and Nissy Solomon of CPPR, explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) was utilized in the 2024 General Elections in India, a year marked by […]
April 21, 2025

Reforming Kerala’s Land Policies – Unlocking Growth & Freedom

  Context The Kerala Land Reforms Act of 1963 and the Kerala Land Reforms (Amendment) Act of 1979 were introduced with the objective of restructuring land ownership and promoting equitable distribution in the state. These legislations sought to transfer land […]
March 13, 2025

Why There’s no ‘Varavelpu’ from Bus Owners to Kerala Budget’s 10% Road Tax Cut Proposal

The Kerala government in its Budget 2025 has proposed to reduce the quarterly road tax for stage carriages by 10%, seemingly to promote public transport. Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal seen arriving to present the State Budget 2024-25 during […]
March 8, 2025

Accelerating Gender Equality: Bridging the Economic Gap for Women in India

This year’s UN theme for the International Women’s Day—”Accelerate Action”—is a stark reminder to reflect on the work left to be done, and the barriers to be tackled to attain gender equality. The insights presented by the Global Gender Gap […]