Working Paper

April 27, 2026

India can significantly expand its goods exports without compromising the gains made in the services sector through tariff rationalisation, stricter standards discipline, high-ambition free trade agreements, and a more export-conducive macroeconomic environment.

Working Paper

Growth, Finance, Health & Human Development

Why Do Fewer Women Work in India? A Supply–Demand Perspective

Aalhya Sabharwal & Shishir Gupta

April 20, 2026

This paper seeks to answer two fundamental questions: 1) What explains India’s low female LFPR relative to its peers?, and 2) Why did it decline from 2004–2005 to 2017–2018 and then rebound?

Discussion Paper

Growth, Finance, Health & Human Development

Wheels of Change: Automation in India's Automotive Sector

Vandana Vasudevan

April 13, 2026

This study examines how automation is unfolding in India’s auto-component manufacturing and what it means for firms and workers.

Working Paper

Energy, Natural Resources & Sustainability

EV Competitiveness Beyond Incentives

Shyamasis Das & Tarandeep Kaur

April 7, 2026

This study seeks to shed light on how future prices of EVs and the resulting vehicle cost-competitiveness may play out, potentially impacting the dependence of EV uptake on tax incentives in India.

Working Paper

Minerals & Mining

Beyond the Ore: India’s Value-driven Critical Minerals Diplomacy in Africa

Veda Vaidyanathan

March 31, 2026

This paper explores how India can deepen its engagement across Africa’s critical minerals ecosystems by moving beyond transactional trade and concessional finance towards embedded partnerships grounded in institutional capacity building, technology transfer and shared value creation.

Key Insights

Macroeconomic Policy, Trade & Competitiveness

MacroInsights: Crowding-Out? Shrinking Savings, High Public Borrowing Impact Interest Rates

Renu Kohli

March 27, 2026

Could become a binding constraint if private investment gathered force

Discussion Paper

Minerals & Mining

Unlocking India’s Mineral Potential: Bridging the Gap Between Challenges and Ambitions

Rajesh Chadha & Ganesh Sivamani

March 23, 2026

The mining potential of India cannot be unlocked solely through geological discoveries or regulatory reforms; it requires strategic thinking that brings together the state, industry, and society. Responsible mining practices must not be seen as a regulatory burden or ethical preference, but rather a prerequisite for India’s domestic manufacturing and energy security.

Working Paper

Macroeconomic Policy, Trade & Competitiveness

Assessing India’s Trade Performance: Pathways to Strategic and Deeper Integration With Global Value Chains

Prerna Prabhakar, Fukunari Kimura, Ikumo Isono, Satoru Kumagai, Koichiro Kimura & Isamu Wakamatsu

March 17, 2026

This paper discusses the key challenges facing the Indian manufacturing sector, with particular emphasis on its import protection policies and recommends a short- to medium-term policy roadmap to make Indian manufacturing more competitive and better integrated into GVCs.

Flagship Paper

Climate Change

Decarbonising India Isn’t Sequential or Binary With “Power Sector First”

Rahul Tongia

March 5, 2026

This paper shows how there are strong non-linearities in decarbonising all sectors, including the power sector and makes several recommendations for more cost-effective decarbonisation for India.

Working Paper

Climate Change

A High-Growth, Low-Emission Pathway for India: Results From REMIND

Utkarsh Patel & Chen Chris Gong

February 27, 2026

This study employs a customised version of the REgional Model of Investments and Development (REMIND) integrated assessment model (IAM), developed by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany, to create a high-growth, low-carbon scenario for India.

Blog

Macroeconomic Policy, Trade & Competitiveness

The Hidden Cost of Cesses and Surcharges for Indian States

Kritima Bhapta

March 25, 2026

Kritima Bhapta writes about the Hidden Cost of Cesses and Surcharges for Indian States and how there is more to it than what meets the eye.

Blog

Miscellaneous

Which Jobs are at Risk From AI? Evaluating Karpathy’s Exposure Dashboard

TG Srinivasan

March 20, 2026

This blog by TG Srinivasan evaluates the dashboard's heuristic approach against findings from the formal labour economics literature.

Blog

Minerals & Mining

Why India Needs Decentralised Dispute Resolution Forums for Responsible Mining and Processing?

K Prahalad

March 16, 2026

The blog examines the long-standing policy gap in structured, sector-specific avenues for resolving disputes in India’s resource governance, in reference to global practices, potential roadblocks and the need for decentralised resource dispute-resolution forums for India.

Letting the Elephant Dance: Unlocking India’s US$500 Billion Export Opportunity

Macroeconomic Policy, Trade & Competitiveness