ISEC Bengaluru

🌱 World Environment Day 2026 at ISEC 🌱

The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) observed World Environment Day on 5 June 2026 with a sapling plantation programme in the campus.

Acting Director, Faculty members, staff, students, and residents enthusiastically participated in planting saplings, reaffirming ISEC's commitment to environmental sustainability and a greener future.

Together, we took a small but meaningful step towards building a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable world.

Job Alert: 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤-𝐈𝐧 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐂 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫/𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭

ISEC is seeking motivated candidates to join the ADRTC team as Field Investigators/Research Assistants on a contractual basis. This is an excellent opportunity for graduates and postgraduates interested in research, fieldwork, and data-driven projects to gain valuable experience in one of India's premier social science research institutions. Eligible candidates are invited to attend the walk-in interview on 5 June 2026 from 11:00 AM onwards at the ADRTC Meeting Room (208), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru. For more queries, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. For more details click here -https://www.isec.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ADRTC-Advertisement-27.05.2026.pdf

We would like to highlight a few quotes from V.K.R.V. Rao that continue to resonate with India’s development journey, reminding us that meaningful progress requires holistic attention to human welfare, thoughtful socio-economic planning, and a long-term reimagining of our economic and institutional frameworks.

Learn more about him here - https://www.isec.ac.in/prof-v-k-r-rao/

Policy Brief 71: 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Authors: 𝐃. 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫, 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐔𝐩𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐲

Decentralisation and women’s political reservation are often viewed as automatic pathways to inclusive governance, but ground realities remain far more complex. This policy brief on Local Governance highlights how structural barriers such as social norms, mobility restrictions, domestic responsibilities, and gendered perceptions of leadership continue to limit meaningful participation by women in local decision-making spaces. Drawing evidence from villages across Madhya Pradesh, the research reveals that while institutional representation has expanded through reservation policies, substantive participation in governance and natural resource management remains uneven, underscoring the need for deeper social and institutional transformation beyond formal political inclusion.

Find the Policy Brief Here -https://www.isec.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PB-71-Local-government-women-participation.pdf

New Book: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

Authors: 𝐑 𝐊 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐚, 𝐊 𝐍 𝐉𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐫, 𝐏 𝐆𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞

South Asia’s healthcare systems stand at a critical juncture, where persistent gaps in access, financing, workforce capacity, and governance continue to challenge equitable healthcare delivery. Health System Strengthening: Country Experiencesbrings together diverse country experiences and expert perspectives to examine the structural realities shaping public health outcomes across the region. Through rigorous research and policy-focused analysis, the volume highlights the urgent need for resilient, inclusive, and accountable health systems while offering practical insights into reform, institutional capacity-building, and long-term sustainability in healthcare governance.

Find the Book Here - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320245010_Health_System_Strengthening_Experiences_of_Developing_Countries

Policy Brief: 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐮

Authors: 𝐃𝐫. 𝐒 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐢, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐲

Urban centres like Bengaluru are facing mounting climate pressures driven by rapid urbanisation, rising energy demand, and unsustainable construction practices, making resilient and resource-efficient infrastructure a policy imperative. This Policy Brief examines the role of green buildings in addressing environmental and urban sustainability challenges through evidence-based policy insights and behavioural analysis. The study challenges common misconceptions around affordability, adoption, and impact, while highlighting how green infrastructure can reduce energy consumption, improve waste management, enhance indoor environmental quality, and strengthen long-term urban resilience.

Find the Policy Brief Here -https://www.isec.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PB-72-Green-Buildings-For-Climate-Resilience.pdf

New Book: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 (𝟑𝐂) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥-𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜-𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞-𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐨-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Authors: 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐥, 𝐑𝐮𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐡, 𝐊 𝐕 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐮, 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐊𝐚𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞, 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢 𝐒𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐨

Climate change is placing growing pressure on ecosystems, food systems, and vulnerable livelihoods, making the search for sustainable and adaptive solutions more urgent than ever. This book brings together interdisciplinary research presented at two international conferences hosted by ISEC in collaboration with leading global academic institutions. Through diverse perspectives on climate resilience, bio-resource conservation, food security, and livelihood development, the volume examines how scientific research, policy frameworks, and socio-economic systems can work together to address emerging environmental challenges and support more sustainable futures.

Find the book here - https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5

Working Paper: 𝐃𝐨 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲? 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐮
Authors - 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐣𝐮𝐧 𝐊 𝐁, 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐒𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐫

Affordable housing is often framed as a neutral, one-size-fits-all issue, but that assumption doesn’t hold up. We explors how gender shapes housing ownership and decision-making in urban India, with a focus on Bengaluru. Drawing on primary surveys, this working paper shows how women prioritise factors like safety, access, and everyday functionality differently from men. By applying a gender lens, the study surfaces critical gaps in how affordability is defined, and why more inclusive, context-aware housing policies are needed.

Find the working paper here -https://www.isec.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/WP-598-Nagarjuna-K-B-and-Kala-SS-Final.pdf

Policy Brief: 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬: 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐚

Authors: 𝐃 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫, 𝐒 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐢, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐚

Sanitation outcomes are often judged by the number of toilets built, but this policy brief challenges that premise. Focusing on Karnataka, it highlights the gap between access and actual usage, showing how factors like water availability, construction quality, and social norms shape behaviour. By contrasting common policy assumptions with on-ground realities, the brief argues for a shift in focus, from infrastructure delivery to sustained and effective use over time.

Find the Policy Brief Here -https://www.isec.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/PB-49-Improved-Access-and-Use-of-Toilets_Final.pdf