A real shot at change

‘If you could change anything about the present governance and administrative system in the country to make it more effective, what would it be?’ To be able to answer this question, the team initially worked on studying and understanding the administrative system of India – the country’s executive arm. It became apparent that the problem wasn’t just the execution of policies on ground, but the very process through which the policy is created; the purview of the study was expanded.

The project included both primary and secondary research – with Singapore becoming a case study from which to gain and adapt governing principles. Its key areas of focus, then, became -

• Human Resource Development & Management
• Institution Building
• Decision Making, Policy Formation, and Planning
• Implementation
• Technology

The aim of the study remained constant – to provide practical reform recommendations to make the system more effective. The resultant report, advocating a model for assistive governance – a separate team to be put in place, that would not be involved in day-to-day governance, but rather would focus on mapping and re-engineering best practices across the world – was submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office.