The Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH), organized a two-day workshop on “Doing Public Policy: Praxis & Challenges” on 16th and 17th January, 2026 at the Conference Hall, School of Social Sciences. The workshop was coordinated by Prof. E. Venkatesu and Dr. Anju Helen Bara, the workshop examined public policy as a practice shaped by institutions, actors, and implementation constraints. Prof. KY Ratnam, Head, Department of Political Science, presided over the inaugural session.
The first-day opening session was led by Prof. Aseem Prakash, Director, School of Public Policy and Governance, TISS Hyderabad, who outlined core theoretical frameworks of public policy, explained policy formulation processes, and discussed major policy approaches, citizen responses, and implementation challenges, while emphasizing the relevance of micro- and macro-economic analysis. The 2nd session was addressed by Prof. Haragopal where he traced the evolution of public policy and outlining its historical relevance in the Indian context. He linked public policy to constitutional foundations by drawing connections with the Preamble, Directive Principles of State Policy, and Fundamental Rights.
The discussion highlighted how these constitutional elements shape the objectives and orientation of public policy in India. The subsequent session was delivered by Prof. Mukul Saxsena, Centre of Excellence in Public Policy, Sustainability and ESG Research, Alliance University, on the provision of clean drinking water in the slums of Hyderabad, where he introduced conceptual discussions on culture, approaches to understanding culture, and the “black box” of public policy, followed by a simulation exercise for participants, marking the conclusion of the first day.
The workshop resumed on 17th January with a session titled “CSR–Policy–Intent–Outcome”, which examined individual and corporate responsibility, the CSR legal framework in India, prevailing CSR practices, and their limitations by Mr. R.K. Anil, SEWA International. This was followed by a presentation by Dr. S. Laxman Rao, Associate Professor and Coordinator, CESS Hyderabad, on “Making Public Policy Relevant to Governments: Opportunities and Challenges,” where he introduced an anecdote of migration as a policy issue, discussed how different agencies assess it, engaged participants in developing a policy proposal, and highlighted the skills required for effective public policy analysis. The fifth session was addressed by the Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, who provided an account of policy formulation and implementation in the state through the Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-iPASS), emphasizing the role of technical integration in ensuring effective policy delivery to stakeholders. The final session was delivered by Dr. Silveru Harinath, Research Associate, CESS Hyderabad, who presented quantitative and qualitative perspectives on public policy research in his talk on “Issues and Challenges in Social Science Research: Policy Implications for India’s Future.”
The workshop concluded with the collection of feedback forms, certificate distribution, and a vote of thanks proposed by the workshop coordinator, Dr. Anju Helen Bara.