ABOUT Conference

Centre for Public Policy at IIM Bangalore will host the XXI International Conference on Public Policy & Management from September 2 to 4, 2026.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The interdisciplinary conference draws scholars representing diverse perspectives on public policy issues and provides a forum for showcasing the latest developments in policy research and practice. The conference hosts pre-conference activities, academic sessions, topical policy debates, workshops, panel discussions and practitioner-oriented discussions on contemporary topics in public policy and management.

The conference is ideal for academicians, students, research scholars, policy practitioners, lawyers, NGO professionals and anyone with an interest in public policy.

The theme for the conference is: Atma Nirbhar Bharat

Under the broad theme of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, the conference will explore a range of interconnected sub-themes that focus on strengthening domestic capabilities—across institutions, industries, technologies and human capital—so that India’s development is driven by resilience and innovation. Advancing this vision requires rethinking regulatory, administrative and policy frameworks, furthering ease of doing business, enhancing human capabilities and addressing implementation challenges ex-ante. Evidence from India and abroad on development policies, technological adoption, supply chain resilience, and governance innovations including AI tools, provides valuable insights, as do learnings from ongoing schemes, missions and programs aimed at manufacturing, digital empowerment, livelihoods, and public service delivery.

From building stronger primary healthcare systems and reducing dependence on external medical supply chains to empowering MSMEs, enhancing agricultural value chains, deepening digital public infrastructure, improving labour markets, and enabling climate-resilient development, the pursuit of Atma Nirbhar Bharat spans diverse and critical themes. This call for papers invites theoretical, empirical, and case-study-based research addressing these issues and others, contributing to a growing body of knowledge that explores how self-reliance can be advanced across India’s economic and social landscape.

Submissions not falling within these themes, but other wise related to public policy topics are also welcome.

Call for Research Papers, and Practitioner Case Studies

Authors are invited to submit their original research findings and case studies relating to above themes and other public policy topics under any one of the following two avenues:

Research Paper

The full paper should adhere to the following guidelines:

The topic of the paper should be directly related to public policy.
The word limit of the paper is 5000-8000 words, and the abstract is 250 words.
Please use British English.
Please send the paper using MS Word format, Times New Roman font, 12 font size, 1.5 line spacing.
Please send author/co-author’s biography (2-3 lines) indicating affiliation, designation, and contact details.
Please check for plagiarism, grammar, punctuation, and spelling before submitting the paper.
During Signup/Login, please indicate, in case your paper is not selected for full paper presentation, whether you are willing to include it as a poster presentation.

Practitioner Case Studies

Policy practitioners from both the public and private sector and researchers are invited to submit case studies from their successful experiences in the field, challenges faced in policy implementation, and learnings that could drive policy recommendations.

The word limit of the case study is 5000 words.
Please use British English.
Please send the paper using MS Word format, Times New Roman font, 12 font size, 1.5 line spacing.
Please send practitioner’s biography (2-3 lines) indicating affiliation, designation, and contact details.