Reports

A Complex Adaptive System Framework to Regulate AI
The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has raised substantial concerns about the risks associated with uncontrolled AI propagation. This has led to a growing demand for regulatory frameworks that ensure AI development and deployment are conducted safely, ethically, and transparently.
View
Why Commercial Mediation Should be Voluntary
For the mediation system to be effective, it must earn its place in the dispute-resolution ecosystem by its performance and not by a mandate. Hence, Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, must be amended to make pre-litigation mediation for commercial cases voluntary.
View
How the Pennies Drop
This paper delves into the trends of GST collections to evaluate the efficacy of the reform to generate revenue. Subsequently, an attempt is made to answer the questions – what drives revenue growth and whether the collections; collection efficiencies and buoyancy of collections are better under GST as compared to the pre-GST period. This is done by examining the GST collections while controlling for extraneous factors such as inflation.
View
Exploring the Possibility of Organic and Climate Resilient Agriculture Revolution in the North East
The vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the North Eastern Region of Bharat can be developed as the Organic agriculture hub of not only India but of the world, which would double up as the reservoir of knowledge and practice of ancient, climate resilient crops and seeds.
View
Reforming the Legal Metrology Regime
The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (“2009 Act”) which establishes and enforces the standard of weights, measures and labels used in the commercial sector, has long been subjected to criticism for harsh punitive measures and complexity of its labeling regulations.
View
The 2023 India Cluster Panorama
This research paper delves into the concept of competitiveness and clusters, drawing inspiration from the seminal work of Michael Porter and guided by the empirical research conducted by Dr. Christian Ketels across various countries.
View
Assessing the National Surveys for its Representativeness
This paper is a quantitative analysis of the data quality of the National Sample Survey (NSS) in terms of three estimates.
View
State Budgets in India: Observational Time Trend Analysis
State budgets reflect the state government’s social and economic priorities beyond the political rhetoric in the media. Analyzing time trends and the composition of the revenue, expenditure, and capital outlay can provide valuable insights into how these priorities have evolved for different states in the last thirty years.
View
Making India Self-Reliant
India needs an alternative and a self-reliant development model “with Indian characteristics.” The Indian model of growth and development should encourage trade liberalization, but safety nets should be in place to address displacement issues.
View
India’s G20 Presidency – Emerging Issues
With India’s G20 presidency, it is an opportunie moment to delve into economic, political and technological aspects that will define the future of G20 and India’s potential to influence the global agenda.
View
A Secular Democracy in Practice: Objective Assessment of Amenities Programs in India
Our results indicate that the government is responsive to the needs of the marginalized section of society irrespective of religion, caste, or place of residence, which is an alternative and more robust indicator of strengthening democracy in India.
View
India’s Tryst with a Circular Economy
The concept of a circular economy has gained immense popularity in recent times, as it provides a sustainable solution to the current linear economic model. In a circular economy, resources are kept in use for as long as possible, waste is minimized, and products are designed to be reused or recycled at the end of their life.
View
Fixing the GST Process: Five Years of Iterative Problem Solving
The paper, examines the topic from the perspective of process efficiency and the ability of the system to correct by responding to feedback loops. It delves into areas such as customer complaint rates, responsiveness of the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), time taken for redressal, and the technological tools being used to improve interactions with taxpayers.
View
What is “Urban/Rural” India?
The issue of labeling settlements as “urban” and “rural” has important policy implications in India since the label determines the local governance structure (panchayat or urban local body) and the allocation of resources under government schemes. Policymakers often work on the faulty assumption that “rural” is a proxy for “poor” and accordingly spend greater resources on provisioning of public goods in areas defined as “rural”. However, the current classification uses a combination of administrative definition and census criteria which are often inadequate in capturing speed and scale of urbanization in India.
View
Reversing the Gaze
India’s poor performance on certain development indicators has been a matter of hot debate in recent years. These debates often arise because some socio-economic indicators, as estimated by international agencies, seem to stagnate or even deteriorate despite a rise in per capita income in India. In this paper, we examine whether or not these estimates stand up to scrutiny.
View
Enumeration of Legislative Powers in India
Enumeration of legislative powers in the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution has been an important topic in the study of federalism in India. The success of a federation depends on several factors but the accuracy of power distribution is an important one.
View
The Need for Amending Indian Evidence Act, 1872
The Indian Evidence Act continues to serve as a stable foundation for resolving disputes and protecting rights, but it is also crucial to consider the need for modernization and the evolution of the legal system better to serve the needs of a rapidly changing society.
View
Fair Compensation and Accountability
A codified law of torts would eliminate the need to keep developing new legislation each time a new form of injury or violation occurs.
View
Foundational Literacy And Numeracy Report
Language plays a crucial role in shaping the identity of individuals as it determines how individuals interact with each other in the global world. At the same time, numerous issues related to acquiring literacy skills have become a significant concern.
View
India on the move
An examination of volume and direction of internal trade in India. While there is an almost unanimous view of the benefits of trade – fueling economic growth, supporting a greater number of and better paying employment, raising living standards and enhancing the consumer surplus with affordable goods and services, contemporary research has primarily looked at external trade i.e. trade across national borders. This has led to an under-appreciation of the quantum and the effects of internal trade i.e. trade within national borders. This is of particular significance for larger economies such as India.
View
Traditional Water Conservation
A working paper on reasons for decline and need for revival of water conservation by Sankar Prasad Sarma and Himani Aggarwal.
View
Monuments of National lmportance
There has been almost no discussion about the existing list of monuments of national importance and how a monument or a site is so declared. Scores of minor and insignificant monuments have been declared as MNI. Therefore, the current list requires immediate attention for drastic rationalisation.
View
National Bank For Financing Infrastructure and Development
The Government of India has set up the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) as the central Development Finance Institution (DFI) for infrastructure financing. The idea is to establish NaBFID as the key DFI which provides financing to infrastructure projects under the broad developmental goals of the country.
View
Documenting Traditional Knowledge
Ideas and inventions have been passed down from generation to generation within many communities since time immemorial. Today’s practice can be defined as a collective understanding of all inventions and developments that occurred over time and were then passed
down as Traditional Knowledge (TK).

Social Progress Index: States and Districts of India
In collaboration with Social Progress Initiative, The Institute for Competitiveness is pleased to release the Social Progress Index: States and Districts in India report, mandated by the Economic Advisory Council, to the Prime Minister of India.
View
Smuggling and Counterfeiting
As the world, grapples with a host of problems, ranging from inflation and recessions to war and violence, the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting lurks in the underbelly of the economy.
View
Non-Tariff Barriers faced by Indian Exporters from their top Partner Members
The intersection of barriers and measures are need to be examined more carefully by the WTO and should frame additional provisions to prevent the use of such barriers.
View
Why India Does Poorly On Global Perception Indices
In this paper we look at 3 indices which are used by WGI, which are Freedom in the World Index, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index and V-DEM indices. All three indices are almost entirely perception-based.
View
Abrasions in the Federal System
Sustaining a harmonious federal relationship can prove to be the route towards accelerated economic growth only if it opens up avenues for win-win situations for both the Centre and the states.
View
Status of Women in India
Gender inclusivity has emerged as an important leitmotif in global policy dialogues. India’s gender divide has been a matter of extensive debates and discussions.
View
Financial Inclusion in India
Financial inclusion in India has seen a paradigm shift since 2014 with the introduction of JAM Trinity encompassing Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) for universal banking access for all, Aadhaar for unique biometric identification, and mobile services for direct transfers.
View
Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals 2016-2030
The world and even India will not achieve the SDG promises on time, it is useful to consider which of the promises should be prioritised, to speed overall progress. Cost-benefit analysis can identify which policies generate the most socio-economic good for each extra rupee spent. Analysing more than one hundred relevant Indian policies, we identify 12 highly effective policies
View
Cultural Heritage: An Urgent Need To Popularize And Protect
The report makes an attempt to address various issues associated with India’s diverse and ancient composite heritage.
View
Competitiveness Roadmap For India@100
India Competitiveness Initiative is a multiyear effort towards enhancing prosperity and ease of living for its citizens. The initiative is a collaborative effort between EAC-PM, The Institute for Competitiveness headed by Dr. Amit Kapoor, Prof. Michael Porter and Dr. Christian Ketels from Harvard Business School.
View
Why India Needs To Urgently Invest In Its Patent Ecosystem?
An evolved Intellectual Property Rights regime is the basic requirement for a knowledge-based economy. Technological innovation and scientific research require a robust patenting system. India is seeing a surge in start-ups and unicorns, and an efficient IPR system is an essential prerequisite for a healthy startup ecosystem. In this paper, we focus on analyzing India’s performance in terms of patents and trademarks.
View
Status of Foundational Literacy & Numeracy in India
The report on the State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in India highlights the importance of early education years in the overall development of a child. It further highlights the role of well-planned early interventions like the National Education Policy (2020) and the NIPUN Bharat guidelines, leading to long-term improved learning outcomes.
View
Index on Quality of Life for elderly
The Index on Quality of Life for Elderly 2021 represents a beginning in taking the first step in establishing a complete understanding of the elderly population around India’s States and Union territories.
View
Beekeeping Development Committee Report
Beekeeping is an important activity that supplements and compliments agriculture and provides nutritional and economic security to rural communities worldwide.
View
Report of the Beekeeping Development Committee (Part-II)
This report contains all the Annexures for Report of the Beekeeping Development Committee
View
India’s G20 Presidency – Emerging Issues
With India’s G20 presidency, it is an opportunie moment to delve into economic, political and technological aspects that will define the future of G20 and India’s potential to influence the global agenda.
View
Monuments of National lmportance
There has been almost no discussion about the existing list of monuments of national importance and how a monument or a site is so declared. Scores of minor and insignificant monuments have been declared as MNI. Therefore, the current list requires immediate attention for drastic rationalisation.
View
Documenting Traditional Knowledge
Ideas and inventions have been passed down from generation to generation within many communities since time immemorial. Today’s practice can be defined as a collective understanding of all inventions and developments that occurred over time and were then passed
down as Traditional Knowledge (TK).

Status of Women in India
Gender inclusivity has emerged as an important leitmotif in global policy dialogues. India’s gender divide has been a matter of extensive debates and discussions.
View
Cultural Heritage: An Urgent Need To Popularize And Protect
The report makes an attempt to address various issues associated with India’s diverse and ancient composite heritage.
View
Beekeeping Development Committee Report
Beekeeping is an important activity that supplements and compliments agriculture and provides nutritional and economic security to rural communities worldwide.
View
Report of the Beekeeping Development Committee (Part-II)
This report contains all the Annexures for Report of the Beekeeping Development Committee
View
The 2023 India Cluster Panorama
This research paper delves into the concept of competitiveness and clusters, drawing inspiration from the seminal work of Michael Porter and guided by the empirical research conducted by Dr. Christian Ketels across various countries.
View
Foundational Literacy And Numeracy Report
Language plays a crucial role in shaping the identity of individuals as it determines how individuals interact with each other in the global world. At the same time, numerous issues related to acquiring literacy skills have become a significant concern.
View
Social Progress Index: States and Districts of India
In collaboration with Social Progress Initiative, The Institute for Competitiveness is pleased to release the Social Progress Index: States and Districts in India report, mandated by the Economic Advisory Council, to the Prime Minister of India.
View
Competitiveness Roadmap For India@100
India Competitiveness Initiative is a multiyear effort towards enhancing prosperity and ease of living for its citizens. The initiative is a collaborative effort between EAC-PM, The Institute for Competitiveness headed by Dr. Amit Kapoor, Prof. Michael Porter and Dr. Christian Ketels from Harvard Business School.
View
Status of Foundational Literacy & Numeracy in India
The report on the State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in India highlights the importance of early education years in the overall development of a child. It further highlights the role of well-planned early interventions like the National Education Policy (2020) and the NIPUN Bharat guidelines, leading to long-term improved learning outcomes.
View
Index on Quality of Life for elderly
The Index on Quality of Life for Elderly 2021 represents a beginning in taking the first step in establishing a complete understanding of the elderly population around India’s States and Union territories.
View
A Complex Adaptive System Framework to Regulate AI
The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has raised substantial concerns about the risks associated with uncontrolled AI propagation. This has led to a growing demand for regulatory frameworks that ensure AI development and deployment are conducted safely, ethically, and transparently.
View
Why Commercial Mediation Should be Voluntary
For the mediation system to be effective, it must earn its place in the dispute-resolution ecosystem by its performance and not by a mandate. Hence, Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, must be amended to make pre-litigation mediation for commercial cases voluntary.
View
How the Pennies Drop
This paper delves into the trends of GST collections to evaluate the efficacy of the reform to generate revenue. Subsequently, an attempt is made to answer the questions – what drives revenue growth and whether the collections; collection efficiencies and buoyancy of collections are better under GST as compared to the pre-GST period. This is done by examining the GST collections while controlling for extraneous factors such as inflation.
View
Exploring the Possibility of Organic and Climate Resilient Agriculture Revolution in the North East
The vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the North Eastern Region of Bharat can be developed as the Organic agriculture hub of not only India but of the world, which would double up as the reservoir of knowledge and practice of ancient, climate resilient crops and seeds.
View
Reforming the Legal Metrology Regime
The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (“2009 Act”) which establishes and enforces the standard of weights, measures and labels used in the commercial sector, has long been subjected to criticism for harsh punitive measures and complexity of its labeling regulations.
View
Assessing the National Surveys for its Representativeness
This paper is a quantitative analysis of the data quality of the National Sample Survey (NSS) in terms of three estimates.
View
State Budgets in India: Observational Time Trend Analysis
State budgets reflect the state government’s social and economic priorities beyond the political rhetoric in the media. Analyzing time trends and the composition of the revenue, expenditure, and capital outlay can provide valuable insights into how these priorities have evolved for different states in the last thirty years.
View
Making India Self-Reliant
India needs an alternative and a self-reliant development model “with Indian characteristics.” The Indian model of growth and development should encourage trade liberalization, but safety nets should be in place to address displacement issues.
View
A Secular Democracy in Practice: Objective Assessment of Amenities Programs in India
Our results indicate that the government is responsive to the needs of the marginalized section of society irrespective of religion, caste, or place of residence, which is an alternative and more robust indicator of strengthening democracy in India.
View
India’s Tryst with a Circular Economy
The concept of a circular economy has gained immense popularity in recent times, as it provides a sustainable solution to the current linear economic model. In a circular economy, resources are kept in use for as long as possible, waste is minimized, and products are designed to be reused or recycled at the end of their life.
View
Fixing the GST Process: Five Years of Iterative Problem Solving
The paper, examines the topic from the perspective of process efficiency and the ability of the system to correct by responding to feedback loops. It delves into areas such as customer complaint rates, responsiveness of the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), time taken for redressal, and the technological tools being used to improve interactions with taxpayers.
View
What is “Urban/Rural” India?
The issue of labeling settlements as “urban” and “rural” has important policy implications in India since the label determines the local governance structure (panchayat or urban local body) and the allocation of resources under government schemes. Policymakers often work on the faulty assumption that “rural” is a proxy for “poor” and accordingly spend greater resources on provisioning of public goods in areas defined as “rural”. However, the current classification uses a combination of administrative definition and census criteria which are often inadequate in capturing speed and scale of urbanization in India.
View
Reversing the Gaze
India’s poor performance on certain development indicators has been a matter of hot debate in recent years. These debates often arise because some socio-economic indicators, as estimated by international agencies, seem to stagnate or even deteriorate despite a rise in per capita income in India. In this paper, we examine whether or not these estimates stand up to scrutiny.
View
Enumeration of Legislative Powers in India
Enumeration of legislative powers in the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution has been an important topic in the study of federalism in India. The success of a federation depends on several factors but the accuracy of power distribution is an important one.
View
The Need for Amending Indian Evidence Act, 1872
The Indian Evidence Act continues to serve as a stable foundation for resolving disputes and protecting rights, but it is also crucial to consider the need for modernization and the evolution of the legal system better to serve the needs of a rapidly changing society.
View
Fair Compensation and Accountability
A codified law of torts would eliminate the need to keep developing new legislation each time a new form of injury or violation occurs.
View
India on the move
An examination of volume and direction of internal trade in India. While there is an almost unanimous view of the benefits of trade – fueling economic growth, supporting a greater number of and better paying employment, raising living standards and enhancing the consumer surplus with affordable goods and services, contemporary research has primarily looked at external trade i.e. trade across national borders. This has led to an under-appreciation of the quantum and the effects of internal trade i.e. trade within national borders. This is of particular significance for larger economies such as India.
View
Traditional Water Conservation
A working paper on reasons for decline and need for revival of water conservation by Sankar Prasad Sarma and Himani Aggarwal.
View
National Bank For Financing Infrastructure and Development
The Government of India has set up the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) as the central Development Finance Institution (DFI) for infrastructure financing. The idea is to establish NaBFID as the key DFI which provides financing to infrastructure projects under the broad developmental goals of the country.
View
Smuggling and Counterfeiting
As the world, grapples with a host of problems, ranging from inflation and recessions to war and violence, the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting lurks in the underbelly of the economy.
View
Non-Tariff Barriers faced by Indian Exporters from their top Partner Members
The intersection of barriers and measures are need to be examined more carefully by the WTO and should frame additional provisions to prevent the use of such barriers.
View
Why India Does Poorly On Global Perception Indices
In this paper we look at 3 indices which are used by WGI, which are Freedom in the World Index, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index and V-DEM indices. All three indices are almost entirely perception-based.
View
Abrasions in the Federal System
Sustaining a harmonious federal relationship can prove to be the route towards accelerated economic growth only if it opens up avenues for win-win situations for both the Centre and the states.
View
Financial Inclusion in India
Financial inclusion in India has seen a paradigm shift since 2014 with the introduction of JAM Trinity encompassing Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) for universal banking access for all, Aadhaar for unique biometric identification, and mobile services for direct transfers.
View
Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals 2016-2030
The world and even India will not achieve the SDG promises on time, it is useful to consider which of the promises should be prioritised, to speed overall progress. Cost-benefit analysis can identify which policies generate the most socio-economic good for each extra rupee spent. Analysing more than one hundred relevant Indian policies, we identify 12 highly effective policies
View
Why India Needs To Urgently Invest In Its Patent Ecosystem?
An evolved Intellectual Property Rights regime is the basic requirement for a knowledge-based economy. Technological innovation and scientific research require a robust patenting system. India is seeing a surge in start-ups and unicorns, and an efficient IPR system is an essential prerequisite for a healthy startup ecosystem. In this paper, we focus on analyzing India’s performance in terms of patents and trademarks.
View