The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru is hosting the 6th India Public Policy Network Conference (IPPN) from June 1 to 4, 2026. The theme for this edition is ‘Public Policy Praxis in the Global South: Building Coherence and Capacity for Future Challenges.’
Call For Panels
We invite researchers, faculty and policy practitioners to this conference to highlight potential opportunities and challenges that are relevant to India. We invite contributions that could include working papers, monographs, case studies, demonstrable interventions and other forms of substantive reflective contributions that can help us collectively understand Public Policy Praxis in India. Know more.
Public Policy Praxis in Global South
Concept Note
Public policy praxis—the knowledge derived from practice and reflection—is transforming governance across developing economies. In India, this transformation is visible through the exponential growth of policy education programs, research institutions, and a vast industry of policy practice that spans government, consulting, and civil society. Yet, this expansion unfolds amidst technological, administrative, ecological, and political shifts that challenge existing legal and policy frameworks.
Developing economies are now key laboratories for governance innovation. From AI-enabled service delivery to local-level participatory experiments, these contexts highlight how governance capacity, institutional coherence, and policy equity must evolve together. The conference invites reflection on how public policy praxis can help bridge theory and action, regulation and innovation, and local and global approaches to policymaking.
We aim to foster dialogue between academia, practitioners, and policymakers to explore how developing economies can build coherence and capacity to meet future challenges in governance, technology, and sustainability.
Conference Tracks
The conference will be structured around three central tracks:
1. Teaching Track
Panels within this track will examine how law and public policy are taught in developing economies, with a focus on curriculum design, pedagogy, and the integration of emerging issues such as technology, sustainability, and inequality. Discussions will include the challenges of interdisciplinary teaching, the use of case-based and experiential learning, and how to prepare students for careers at the intersection of law, governance, and policy. The teaching track will also explore how new technologies—AI, online learning, and digital classrooms—are reshaping the delivery of legal and policy education.
Some possible teaching related questions can include the following:
- What are the kinds of learning outcomes expected beyond disciplinary foundations?
- How have experiential learning components been designed that are not necessarily focussed on empirical reporting and for academic research?
- How do programmes balance generalist teaching and sectoral depth?
- What are the pedagogical approaches being used to incorporate heterodox approaches that can overcome disciplinary boundaries?
- What kinds of innovations have been tried in assessment, concept building, application ability to meet learning requirements?
- How is public policy praxis in India being taught that makes it distinct from standard western approaches to teaching Public Policy?
2. Research Track
This track will focus on academic scholarship addressing the governance challenges of developing economies. Papers and panels will explore methodological innovations in studying law–policy intersections, comparative governance in the Global South, and the role of interdisciplinary frameworks. Key themes include technological governance, digital inequality, climate change, urban transformation, and human rights in digital spaces. The research track will highlight how developing economies are not only case studies but also producers of theoretical insights that can shape global debates.
Some illustrative questions could include the following:
- What are the challenges to policymaking for sustainability in India and how can they be addressed?
- How do law and policy interact in the face of uncertainty?
- What are the emerging policy issues within sectors that require further research? What lessons can be drawn from comparative studies of governance in the Global South?
- What has been the impact of networks and actors on governance?
- How can developing economies balance innovation and regulation in policymaking?
- What are some new concepts and methodologies that are relevant to public policy research in India?
3. Practice Track
This track will bring together policymakers, practitioners, lawyers, and civil society actors to discuss how law and policy reforms are implemented in practice. It will highlight real-world innovations such as e-governance platforms, fintech regulation, community-driven governance, smart city initiatives, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Panels will emphasize lessons learned from the field, including both successes and failures, and explore how legal frameworks can be made more adaptive, participatory, and responsive to local contexts.
- What interventions have worked and what have not and why?
- How do legal practitioners address public policy challenges?
- How do policy practitioners understand and address the legal dimensions of policy?
- What areas of research do practitioners expect from the academic community?
- How can we explore and consolidate collaborative practices between academia, law, and the policy community?
In addition to the afore-mentioned issues, we invite panels that cover but are not limited to, the themes listed. We invite scholars from diverse disciplines and practitioners to present their work or curate panels on various sectoral and thematic issues with implications for policy and law.
Important Dates
- November 30, 2025: Deadline for submission of panels
- December 15, 2025: Call for papers
- January 15, 2026: Deadline for submission of conference abstracts
- February 1, 2026: Conference registration begins
- March 30, 2026: Last date for conference registration
- June 1 (Monday) to June 4 (Thursday) 2026: Pre-conference and conference
Contact Us
For any enquires, reach out to us at .
References
- Sindakis, S., & Showkat, G. (2024). The digital revolution in India: bridging the gap in rural technology adoption. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 13(1), 29.
- Tan, S. Y., & Taeihagh, A. (2020). Smart city governance in developing countries: A systematic literature review. sustainability, 12(3), 899.
- Nguyen, C. P., Schinckus, C., & Su, T. D. (2022). Asymmetric effects of global uncertainty: the socioeconomic and environmental vulnerability of developing countries. Fulbright Review of Economics and Policy, 2(1), 92-116.
- Sajjanhar A. The New Experts: Populist Elites and Technocratic Promises in Modi’s India. Cambridge University Press; 2024.
- Phadnis, A., Aggarwal, S., & Naveen, K. (2024). Evolution of public policy education in the global South: The case of India. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 31(1), 18–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2024.2398360
Related Links
Call for Panels | 6th India Public Policy Network Conference | IPPN – NLSIU 2026 | June 1-4, 2026