Committed to reforming legal education and the pursuit of academic excellence, NLSIU places significant emphasis on legal and policy research. Research at NLSIU is primarily carried out through its Centres, Chairs, multi-year research projects, and through individual faculty initiatives. The University’s specialised research centres have been repeatedly called upon to shape laws and improve implementation in intellectual property, child rights, and environmental laws, among many others.
In 2020, NLSIU identified five focus areas where it will develop new interdisciplinary research clusters:
- Labour and Work
- Climate Justice
- State Design and Reform
- Access to Justice & Legal System Reform
- Law, Technology and Society
In Focus
Enquiring into India’s state capacity
Research Entities
Centres
NLSIU’s research centres anchor original and deep research on a broad range of critical areas. They also form nodes through which faculty, students and scholars publicly engage on these issues to inform, educate and help shape reform measures. From human rights and gender equality to leading environmental law research and emerging issues on law and technology, NLSIU’s research centres continue to engage with and impact key societal concerns in every decade.
Chairs
Research Chairs at NLS aim to advance knowledge in their respective fields through original inquiry, promotion of academic debate and dissemination of the latest research and findings. They play a critical role in strengthening the teaching, research and training capabilities of the University as a whole.
Projects & Grants
Continuing our research efforts in 2020 and 2021, NLSIU has entered into a slew of collaborations both at the local and international level. We hope to initiate more such collaborations in the coming months and bring together scholars and researchers from across India and around the world to produce innovative and relevant outcomes through our research.
Journals
NLS is home to several interdisciplinary journals that have carried articles by leading scholars and experts over the years, and been cited by the Supreme Court on several occasions. The journals have a commitment to open access and the promotion of legal writing, and occupy an important space in legal academia in India.
Publications
Is Platform Work Decent Work? A Case of Food Delivery Workers in Karnataka
September 8, 2021
This study is a contribution to the understanding of jobs in platform economy or gig economy. It attempts to examine the earnings of platform workers and explores their experiences on the job in Bengaluru. The study documented below the minimum wage earnings despite long work hours well beyond 8 hours on average per day for most platform workers engaged in various food delivery platforms in Karnataka.
Legal Barriers to Accessing Safe Abortion Services in India: A Fact Finding Study
August 16, 2021
The article authored by Aparna Chandra, Mrinal Satish, Shreya Shree and Mini Saxena, is a result of a collaborative exercise between Center for Reproductive Rights, National Law University, Delhi and NLSIU. The report documents legal barriers faced by women in accessing safe abortion services, and the harm caused to women due to such barriers. Based on its findings, the report suggests measures for rights-oriented law reform.
The history of the new labor codes in India
July 1, 2021
The article aims to enrich reflections on the impact that labour law and the combination of sectoral policies can have on sustainable economic growth. Against a formalist approach, the intent is understanding how labour law can contribute to preserving and raising living standards and the planet’s health by introducing environmental issues (which are still conceived exclusively as universal) into local and corporate labour policies.
The Journey of Labour Regulation
February 28, 2021
More than 95% of working women are engaged in informal work. There is a similar over-representation of socially and economically marginalized groups – Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and OBCs. In the light of the recent presidential grant to three acts – the Code on Social Security, Industrial Relations Code and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, this article seeks to understand its impact.
