Patna: The two-day International Conference on Public Policy and Management, organized by Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP) in collaboration with Georgia State University, concluded on Tuesday. A key highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions in the presence of Bihar Chief Secretary Brajesh Mehrotra. This MoU aims to facilitate joint research projects and student exchange programs.
On the second day, the conference focused on “Policy and Service Delivery Challenges in Poverty Alleviation, Education, and Health in India and the World.” Professor Charles Hankla from Georgia State University discussed electoral and fiscal accountability in Peru, noting that the scale of public service funding by elected representatives influences electoral accountability, as reflected by voter recalls and re-elections. Professor Anjali Thomas from the Georgia Institute of Technology presented findings from a study on access to public services in 153 Mumbai slums, emphasizing that bureaucratic assistance and political coordination together enhance service delivery to the most disadvantaged.
Professor V. N. Alok from the Indian Institute of Public Administration in New Delhi criticized the ‘top-down approach’ in local governance, advocating for direct fund allocations from the Union Finance Commission to local bodies to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and municipalities. Dr. Sayan Banerjee from Texas Tech University highlighted how local gender quotas improve the electability of women to higher tiers of government.
Dr. Anamika Priyadarshini, Director of Knowledge Management, Research and Design at Heifer International India, discussed policy interventions to address toxic masculinity among boys, advocating for early engagement on gender issues and local livelihood arrangements to prevent distress migration. This session was moderated by Dr. Pradeep Kumar Chaudhary, Assistant Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
The second session addressed field learnings on climate change policies, sustainability, industry, and agriculture in Bihar. Presentations were delivered by Dr. S. Senapati and Dr. D. Samanta, Assistant Professors at CIMP; Chandan Jha, Programme Lead at the Council on Environment, Energy and Water; Dr. Indrajeet Kumar from the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi; and Prameet Kumar Vineet, Assistant Professor at Patna University. Utsav Kumar from the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) moderated the session.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on “Entrepreneurship in Bihar: Emerging Trends and Challenges,” featuring young entrepreneurs from the region.
In the valedictory session, Prof. Rana Singh, Director of CIMP, alongside Prof. Charles Hankla, Prof. Anjali Thomas, and Dr. Sayan Banerjee, summarized the conference discussions and deliberated on strengthening good governance and local development in Bihar and beyond.
