Thursday, 17 December 2020
“Kaka: a Man for all Seasons” by Ajay Singha - Raconteur Indica
Sunday, 15 November 2020
The Gig Economy by Ajay Singha - Raconteur Indica
Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Classic Guns of the Raj by Ajay Singha - Raconteur Indica
After he was appointed the heir presumptive to the British throne, the grandson of Queen Victoria, frequently visited Her Majesty’s domains on hunting and shooting excursions. He infused a fair amount of style, fashion, etiquette and fervour in these activities. The related brouhaha reached its’ zenith when he was declared King of England in 1910 and was fondly known as George Pancham (George V) to the people of the Indian sub-continent. Maharajas, Nawabs and the titled gentry of the Raj in India left no stone unturned to emulate his style and related paraphernalia. Shooting sports emerged as the favourite hobby of the high and mighty in the days of the Raj as it bore the stamp of imperial approval. In fact it constituted the very epitome of what the empire stood for and keenly perpetuated amongst the ruling classes of India.
For the ruling elite of the Indian sub-continent, importing
high quality bespoke firearms from Great Britain gained popularity by 1900s.
Never to miss an opportunity, British gunsmiths created fine pieces of sporting
guns for sale at exorbitant prices to rich individuals, maharajas and the
nobility. Custom made, individually crafted and highly decorated guns with
personal names engraved were sought after. The ruling class during the days of the Raj were an
adventurous lot, spending considerable time outdoors. They had to govern and
rule over vast tracts of land and in the process had a good time, albeit at the
cost of others. Shooting “game” had become ideally suited for people whose
persona comprised of some western education, political and social influence and
a good amount of money to spare. To go
on “Shikar” and own high quality, made to order firearms became
inextricably interwoven with the lifestyle of the power elite. Much like possessing
a Rolls Royce, owning bespoke firearms and related accoutrements was now a distinguishing
feature between the privileged, who hunted for pleasure and those who poached wild
life for sustenance.
British manufacturers of bespoke firearms who
supplied sporting guns for India’s elite in the late 19th and early
20th centuries were James Purdy & Sons, Holland & Holland,
Westley Richards, EJ Churchill, Boss & Co, John Rigby and WJ Jeffery. For
big game hunting in India, British gun makers also developed exclusive calibres
for India. Starting with black powder 500/450 Express in the initial years,
followed by 375H&H, 416 Rigby, 275Jefferys, 30Super and the famous 577 Rewa
named after a then incumbent Princely State.
For small game and bird shooting which was plentiful across India, the
popular choice was 12, 16 or 20 bore shotguns. All game birds were sought after
but only on the wing. Shooting a sitting bird was now considered unsporting, frowned
upon and seriously discouraged.
Sand grouse, teal, duck, partridge, quail were found in large numbers then and
presented challenging targets on the wing. Thus arose the need to order a pair of
guns so that precious time was not lost in reloading and gun bearers were
trained to quickly hand over loaded guns to ensure uninterrupted shooting. Records
of Imperial Sand Grouse shoots at Gajner in Bikaner and duck shooting in
Bharatpur bear testimony to immensely large bags, as several VIP guns blazed in
organised shoots. This was followed by elaborate al fresco lunches and photo
sessions featuring the high and mighty of the Indian sub-continent. Very often
the days’ bag comprised various species of game birds and hence the term “Mixed
bag” became popular in the English language. In addition to pairs, those who
could afford, used triplets of the same gun make. The Viceroy of India in 1880,
Lord Ripon was recognised as the finest shot in the British Empire and the last
word in shooting on the wing. He had an enviable record of shooting 556,500
game birds in his lifetime.
In big game shooting, to shoot a running animal
during the course of a beat was considered fine sport, much like shooting only flying
birds in small game. Beats or “haakas” were organised for this type of serious
Shikar in Princely States of the Raj. A large group of villagers were ordered
to walk through the forest beating drums and trumpets in an organised manner to
move out the big game towards a pre-determined forest clearing. As the animals
crossed a forest clearing bereft of trees and undergrowth at break neck speed
they provided a sporting chance of a few seconds to big game enthusiasts. The
shooter had to be a good shot with a rifle and very quick on the uptake or
forego the chance till the next beat commenced. This unique feature gave rise to the
manufacture of high quality double rifles which looked like shotguns but were
in fact breech loading double barrelled rifles. Later bolt action rifles were added
to the collections of discerning big game shooters. Tiger, Leopard, Bear, Stag,
Wild boar and various antelopes were felled by these made to order rifles.
Each of these unique made to order guns of the Raj had a serial number and to
this date the original owners of these priceless pieces can be traced. With
heavy engravings, carvings, year of manufacture, name and title of the owner was
prominently mentioned on the gun. Very often the metal engraver, himself an
artist of repute, left his initials on the insides of the engraved side plates.
A large part of the global
business of these British gunsmiths was for the Indian ruling elite. Made from
the finest gun metals available at that point in time, the guns were test fired
and proofed by specialists who stamped each weapon individually. Safety and
quality was paramount and therefore assured for the most discerning clientele. In the Princely States
of Rajputana it appears that Bikaner had a liking for Holland & Holland (H&H)
and was responsible for developing a hybrid called the “Paradox”. This was a 12
bore shotgun but could fire slugs for big game and bird shot when required. The
last six inches on the fore end of the barrel had rifled grooves much like in a
conventional rifle. The H&H Paradox were used for big game shooting by the
Bikaner Royals and became a favourite topic of discussion at post Shikar
celebrations across the Raj. A Paradox now owned by a friend, was kindly allowed
to be used by me to get a taste from a bygone era when sporting guns, like
clothes, were tailor made to fit individuals. The Maharaja of Alwar focussed
mainly on Rifles from Westley Richards as big game was plenty in the State.
Bharatpur was another aficionado for shotguns and the Maharaja had organised a
duck shoot as late as 1961 for Prince Philip where a 20 bore pair made by James
Purdy was used by my father who also attended the shoot. Much later, accompanying
my father, we visited the Maharaja. He was kind enough to show us the same pair
of 20 bore shot guns and allowed me to fire a few shots. The Maharaja of
Kishangarh in addition to importing, also procured some of these fine guns from
Bikaner State. There was hardly a Princely State with a gun salute or a famous
person featuring in the Who’s Who of India 1942 (Imperial Publishing) who did
not possess a bespoke firearm. The Maharaja of Jodhpur had a huge collection
across all makes, brands and calibres as they were fond of both small and big
game shooting.
Some of the owners developed a strong emotional bonding with a favourite
weapon, an emotion which can be appreciated by present day gun aficionados. In
1948 when Pakistani tribesmen closed in on Srinagar, the Maharaja of Kashmir was
advised to vacate his palace without much notice. Understandably only precious
items and jewellery would be carried in such a situation but the Maharaja added
his favourite pair of Purdy shotguns before commencing his journey.
People of
our generation had the chance to experience the tail end of this unique
phenomenon of the Raj which dominated the lives of the social and economic
elite. The larger than life stories around hunting excursions, the great
outdoors and the fine quality guns used, find some audience even today. I
recall one such story recounted by an erstwhile noble. Villagers requested him to
eliminate a leopard which frequently attacked their livestock. The young Prince
ventured out to shoot the Leopard and selected his grandfather’s hammered 500
H&H for the task. He had never used it but had heard many a Shikar stories
featuring this weapon. In the late evening when they were sitting near a goat-kill
and were about to confront their quarry he tried loading the rifle only to
realise that the cartridges he had brought along were marginally sleeker than the
Chamber of the Rifle in hand. It struck him then that the cartridges belonged
to his 375 H&H double rifle. Realising they were now unarmed and a
dangerous quarry was lurking, he looked at his tribal hunting assistant who was
armed with a catapult. The fellow was a great shot with his catapult and wasted
no time in loading a round lead ball in his catapult. In a few moments the
leopard approached, the assistant took careful aim and pulling the catapult to
its’ full length, released the projectile to hit the leopard on his forehead.
The leopard was stunned and was speared before it could regain consciousness.
Later when they examined the skull of the leopard it was found that the metal projectile
had cracked the skull and was lodged firmly in the brain. For several years the
leopard skin and the projectile were proudly displayed in the palace and formed
the topic of excited conversation over drinks. What the mighty Holland &
Holland could not achieve was performed by a lowly catapult. I heard this story
around 1970 on one such evening when accompanying my father for dinner to the Prince’s
palace.
From the beginning of the 20th century
till Indian independence this great interest in made to order, high quality
rifles and shotguns flourished. As the sun finally set on the Raj, the proverbial
cat had vanished but the smile remained, at least for a while. Classic hobbies,
interests and past times including sporting guns continued among the social
elite for some more decades. The death knell for these and related interest was
finally sounded by the unceremonious removal of the privy purses of the Indian
Princes in 1971. The famed British manufacturers of these exclusive weapons started
visiting India to buy back most of these exclusive guns. They were purchased
for meagre amounts of money, reconditioned in England and marketed, like a
piece of Indian history, to rich buyers in the Middle East, USA and Europe. Subsequent enactments of laws and rules by the
Indian government ensured that this last vestige of the Raj was completely obliterated
for all times to come and another fine and glorious Indian heritage was
consigned to the dustbin of history.
Saturday, 25 April 2020
A Post-Covid World
by Ajay Singha-Raconteur Indica.
As we inch closer to the imminent removal of lock down restrictions, the question on everybody’s mind is: Will it be business as usual?
It is widely believed that “Clues to the future lie in the past”. Social scientists and historians will testify that human nature has not changed much over the past few millennia. Great wars and plagues are known to have reignited economic forces and reinforced the individual’s will to impose human dominance and control over nature. Pacifists and liberals may predict the opposite but the unchanged human nature, with its insatiable and unbridled desires continues to stride ahead. A period of intense economic activity and severe social struggle will ensure that the future will be a difficult, challenging yet most exciting time to live and work in. This paradoxical environment will witness young people across socio-economic segments working and living primarily for the present. We have already entered a period of uncertain geo-political and unpredictable economic realities.
These conditions will most certainly lead to a short term approach towards business decision making and personal planning. The gig economy will grow in the foreseeable future, which implies that in the business world co-operation with new partners and strategic tie-ups even with competitors will become the new normal. Outsourcing contracts, task jobs and freelance work is what the Indian economy thrives on and will see exponential growth. Experience, both from overseas and India leads us to believe that artificial intelligence, big data, and internet of things will make business more resilient to future uncertainties or any “black swan” eventualities.
At an individual level this change will mean that each person must become a life-long learner, who appreciates and understands the key drivers of the industrial revolution 4.0. This would further translate into work from home: companies will hire and engage people who can keep the digital business running, make it more efficient and less prone to breakdowns. Employees will therefore need re-skilling, training with new modules and SOPs that will make working from home more effective. The changed environment will demand new systems and approach creating a vacuum of immense opportunities for new business across borders. Nature abhors vacuum, India and Indians will greatly benefit and prosper if this void is filled in, adopting a positive and dynamic approach.
During the quarantine period there was ample time to introspect and sort out existential issues facing one’s reality. This exercise will lead to reassessment of individual world views, altered lifestyles, new approach to socialising and resultant attitudinal changes amongst people. Indian society will now encounter a fresh set of challenges which emanate from India’s diverse and multi-polar construct. A newfound tolerance for restrictions has become acceptable amongst the relatively evolved and educated segment of society. This phenomenon has not permeated to the less privileged and functionally literate masses. Friction between the compliant and non-compliant segments of society is imminent and likely to spark social, economic and subsequently political disturbances across the continents like the recent protests in USA. This adds to the prevailing levels of uncertainty, fuels the high risk economic environment and results in short term perspectives for all decision making.
On the eve of 2020 as the world was bringing in the new-year, a deadly virus had been discovered and within 100 days spread across 184 countries. Human kind was locked in a battle against an unseen enemy who refused to distinguish between nations, religions and social classes. Olympics have been postponed, schools closed and a lasting scar etched on the human psyche. In the past the world experienced several diseases for which no medical cures exist till date. Yet society lives with them by adjusting lifestyles and incorporating effective preventive care. Indians young and old must learn to celebrate the human spirit and trust mankind’s ability to repeatedly surmount impossible odds stacked against the historically suffering humanity.
Friday, 28 February 2020
Public Policy in India - American perspectives
Lecture delivered on February 15th 2020 for the Executive Program on Public Policy and International Relations at the Centre for Advanced Learning,
St. Stephen’s College, Delhi by Ajay Singha,
former ED of American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham)
and Deputy DG Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, New Delhi
email: ajaypsingha@gmail.com
Almost all sectors of economic and social relevance between India and the United States of America enjoy a certain level of co-operation and partnership. Consequently there is robust policy engagement in multiple industry segments and sectors related to the economy.
Public policy happens when governance and the multiple players in a vibrant society interface. Public policy is a subject which indeed concerns senior management of all corporations and anyone aspiring to be in that group must become well versed in this. Joint initiatives between India and the US witness a high level of policy making and results in several levels of executive action - that being the immediate objective of policy making. To that extent the contents of this lecture are based on the experiences of the lecturer / author and are subjective in nature.
NEXT SLIDE 2
There are three broad areas of Public policy in the US-India context namely:
Developmental projects in India with US assistance.
Economic and Commercial relations.
The Strategic embrace across multiple aspects of the bilateral engagement.
NEXT SLIDE 3
The best Public Policy is made when you are listening to people, who will be impacted” Elizabeth Dole – Author, Senator, Served three US Presidents.
The genesis of US- India Public policy relations may be examined in the backdrop of two great movements in India which had a strong US component namely the Green Revolution and the IT Revolution. However, before we do that let us get slightly deeper into the subject of Public policy, policy advocacy and Lobbying in the US.
Advocacy and Lobbying in USA takes place at various levels in Government: Federal / State / County / Municipal or Local.
Federal Agencies in the US cover major areas of concern where the country engages with other nations.
This includes areas of bilateral interest which form the subject matter for policy dialogue and subsequent policy construct. Finance, Aviation, Defence, Healthcare, Energy, Food, Telecom are select examples.
It is estimated that there are twelve thousand public policy, advocacy and lobbying firms in USA. Most of the substantive work is handled by about 300 firms.
According to one estimate the industry has an annual turnover of $9 billion.
NEXT SLIDE 5
What is the legal basis for Policy Advocacy and Lobbying in the US?
It is derived from the First Amendment to the US Constitution which allows the people to petition the government to redress their grievances.
The following US laws also impact Advocacy and Lobbying:
Lobbying Disclosure Act
Honest Leadership and Open Govt Act
IRS disclosure requirements
In 1961 India was on the brink of a mass famine. Norman Borlaug (later Nobel Laureate) an American Agronomist was deputed by President Kennedy to visit India. The Ford Foundation and the Indian Ministry of Agriculture received personal support of the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Agriculture Minister Subramaniam. Based on US advise India adopted various policies to resolve the impending food crisis which resulted in import of high yielding seeds for extensive wheat and maize production.
Shortly after Indian independence President S Radhakrishnan set the ball rolling for establishing Agricultural Universities on the US “Land grant model”. Delegations travelled back and forth between India and the US, policies were proposed, put in place and several US universities were roped into this gargantuan effort.
The State Government of Uttar Pradesh promulgated Act XI of 1958 - for establishing an agricultural university. Mentored by the US University of Illinois, the GB Pant University was established in Pantnagar UP. It produced a new breed of Indian agriculture scientists and paved the way for setting up more than 50 other agriculture universities across India. University of Illinois, Washington State, Michigan State Universities had tie-ups with Punjab and later Haryana Agriculture universities. Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University tied up with Anand in Gujarat. Ford foundation and US AID gave massive financial assistance to Allahabad agriculture university.
At that point several policies had to be developed in order to cover issues like: Import of agriculture inputs and produce / import of agricultural technologies / establishing institutions of higher education / Teaching program curriculum / training and employment manuals and several related subjects.
Needless to say these policies were deeply influenced by the institutional partners and collaborators operational during that period mainly and namely USA. Seeing the notable US involvement other countries also brought in know-how and financial resources.
NEXT SLIDE 7
In 1984 PM Rajiv Gandhi announced an IT policy which amongst other things reduced import tariffs on IT hardware. Sam Pitroda a telecom expert from USA was brought in and he set up C-DOT to kick start the Telecom revolution.
In 1988 Government of India formed a National Task Force on IT and Software Development to formulate policies for exports and attracting investors.
Opening of Internet Gateway access
Private sector Software Technology Parks (STPs)
Restructuring customs and excise duty on software
Exemption of income tax to software and services exports
Setting up of venture capital funds
Allowing US Dollar linked stock options to employees of Indian companies
Schemes for students for buying computers, etc.
In 1999 Ministry of Information Technology (MIT) was set up.
US based business and US educated individuals had both short and long term influence on policies in India which brought all these factors into play. As several American high tech companies moved call centres and software development operations to India, their influence on policies grew.
Needless to say a significant number of software developers were US trained and understood both the Indian and US markets better than their competitors.
In more recent times CEOs of Indian origin have led US IT companies like Adobe, 3D Systems, Cognizant, Master Card, Sandisk, NetApp, Oracle, IBM, Google, Microsoft. Today US accounts for two thirds of India’s IT services exports.
NEXT SLIDE 8
Operational perspectives of US India Policy making.
Both countries increasingly share and exchange information actively interfacing at various levels of government and policy making. The interaction is at the political and executive level and more importantly at the operational level.
Policy making is never a top down phenomena but a two way process where the federal agencies in the US and officials of various Central government departments in India play a key role.
Some of the key federal agencies in the US engaged actively with India include:
Department of Defence / Energy / Treasury / Health / Agriculture / Homeland Security / Commerce / Education / NASA / Food & Drugs Adm. / Internal Revenue Service / Federal Trade Commission / USAID / Aviation Commission etc. Each one of these is a mammoth institution requiring individual attention and deep bilateral engagement.
Of late most of these US agencies work closely with their Indian counterpart ministries and departments. This is a relatively recent phenomena and has resulted in a vast exchange of information. Best operating practices of the US have found their way to Indian agencies. Suspicions of the past have been replaced by a high level of confidence and trust between the two governments.
Whatever goes on in these bilateral meetings and discussions impacts policy making in India. The deliberations between various US and Indian agencies greatly influences and gives critical inputs to policy making processes in India.
Indian Central Government agencies and other institutions meanwhile also enter into serious consultative process with other European counterparts. This is done in order to obtain global perspectives on each policy subject. Due to language similarities and the managerial bandwidth of US agencies the intensity of interaction is most high in the US-India bilateral context.
Central Government departments in India and Federal agencies in the US are in fact the bedrock of public policy making in India and the US respectively.
To illustrate the policy process in USA one major occurrence needs highlighting. The US sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2010 led to a collapse and a global financial crisis. This impacted the economies of most of the developed nations. There were many causes which led to this crisis but certainly housing finance policies of the then US administration was the most obvious. The intentions of these policies and related decisions were undoubtedly most noble but the opposite impact was achieved.
This was also experienced in the recent past in India (currency devaluation / GST). In the Indian context too, the policies were positive, aimed at removal of inequality, corruption, poverty alleviation and development of social and economic infrastructure etc. Some of these policies led to a high level of economic and social stress in recent times in the country.
NEXT SLIDE 9
Checks and balance in the US-India context:
Public Policy is the over arching subject being studied by this group and it is therefore imperative that we also appreciate the difference in policy intervention, policy advocacy and lobbying. A policy professional in India or elsewhere will reach individual conclusions regarding these terms and much of it will depend on the sector of business being engaged in, the level of individual exposure to policy matters and the depth of understanding of these terms. These activities and terms remain crucial to the work experience in US MNCs engaged in bilateral policy review and active engagement.
The role of US Chambers, Amcham, USIBC, USISPF and Commercial Departments of the US Embassy comes in – they ensure neutrality.
Means for policy change should always be fully transparent, compliant and above board. The end must always be praiseworthy
Competitors who share a common policy strategy include:
Pepsi and Coke on issues on water management and CSR
Boeing and Lockheed on defence procurement procedures
IBM and CISCO on smart city opportunities and procurement guidelines
Citi and BankAm on Financial services and banking policies
Deloitte, PWC, EnY, KPMG – across the board multiple segments.
What factors decide the American ownership of a company? Any business set up registered in the US may qualify but may not necessarily receive US government’s policy support. Often a company is owned by not very easily identifiable group of investors - located someplace in the world. Manufacturing operations of such a company may be in China, exports to Asia but in most cases the patents, copyrights, trade-marks, database rights and related IPRs are owned in the US. This is one of the key factors which helps determine the US ownership of a company. Whether US Government and US controlled organisations will put their weight behind a “policy push” this one factor is the most critical in addition to the obvious US ownership of a company.
USMNCs and Indian MNCs – Comparison in approach to Policy advocacy:
Senior management’s understanding of policy challenges.
Financial resources allocation for policy related matters.
Difference in understanding the landscape and eco-system.
Adopting sustainable best practices as opposed to short term solutions.
Appreciate and understand core and peripheral beliefs of policy makers.
Levels of transparent, non-secretive stakeholder policy engagement.
Educating and sensitising stakeholders on implications of FCPA / UKBA
Information share with in-company mid and junior management.
Engagement with relatively powerless groups – A must for developing any sustainable policy.
Building, nurturing and advocating for sustainable policy
Managing the limelight of success and the fruits of change-the first mover advantage.
Study of Public Policy is akin to any other subject like Law, Medicine and Economics. It must reach a point where practice replaces theory and the practitioner is confronted with implementing at least some aspects of what they have learnt.
Some of the phrases associated with Public policy include “trade off, compromise, give and take” and other expressions which suggest the middle path leading towards working solutions in policy matters and deliberations.
Some key approaches to impacting policy matters in India:
Information gathering and deep study to develop an evidence based case
Coordinating the change seekers – Roundtable discussions
Interacting with stakeholders – seminars and conferences
Correspond with decision makers – through Chambers and Associations
Co-ordinate appeal with interest groups – individual meetings and outreach
Media outreach and social media efforts
Develop a cohesive and persuasive message
From the mundane to the most high sounding issues processes remain somewhat similar
US and India regularly exchange delegations of decision makers, senior management of companies and government officials
Round tables and Consultative Group meetings are held regularly
Following are some questions which should be asked and the policy professional must apply their mind to seek answers to these.
What geo-political compulsions led to US-India strategic partnership?
When do industry bodies step in to take up economic policy concerns?
How does the Indian government perceive US policy advocacy?
Specially the interaction with State Governments and State level leaders!
What is the global reference point for Indian policy makers?
Who sets the agenda for all the bilateral policy discussions?
Who and what impacts the decision making and policy advocacy process?
NEXT SLIDE 12
US-India “Strategic Partnership”:
Delegations across industry sectors exchanged. Policy engagement at multiple levels specially Executive and Legislative.
Example: Presentations given to US officials and Indian and US policy stakeholders before visit of Indian PM to Washington.
Example: Presentations given before visit of each important dignitary whether Indian or American visiting either country. Policy engagement at all levels of executive and poitical leadership. “Policy Asks” Story developed by US business interests in India: many examples available (Deloitte Amcham document).
Major policy initiatives by US MNCs operating in India – Case study through the Deloitte Amcham document:
Defence: Address the curbs on US Export Controls for American Defence technology. Discuss to develop transparent and sustainable procurement policies for the Indian MOD. Roundtables with Government and Companies. Security: Counter terrorism co-operation between US Department of Homeland Security and Indian Ministry of Home Affairs. US state of the art surveillance systems. Sharing critical information on counter terrorism operations. Cyber security and high technology. Roundtable with Government and Companies.
Aviation: Deep policy engagement between USMNCs and Miistry of Civil Aviation. Full stakeholder engagement. Roundtable with Government and Companies.
Energy: Clean energy – delegations exchanged – solar policy developed – major commercial sales - Roundtable with Government and Companies.
Agriculture: Evergreen revolution – built on the green revolution but now expanding of market access for US and Indian agricultural produce in addition to developmental goals. Benefits of policy improvement have accrued to other countries as well.
Healthcare and Medical devices: Roundtable with Government and Companies. IPR TRIPS Trade related aspects of Intellectual Property. These impact all industries and cover aspects relating to enforcement / remedies / dispute resolution and related procedures. Results in several work areas for policy advocacy practitioners.
Developing countries have not adequately incorporated TRIPS flexibilities (compulsory licensing, parallel importation, limits on data protection, use of broad research and other exceptions to patentability, etc.) into their legislation to the extent authorized under Doha. Roundtable with Government and Companies
NEXT SLIDE 14
US –India relations in the context of a rising China . The term “Indo-Pacific” replaces Asia-Pacific a legacy of the Cold War.
India gets a seat on the high table – “Indo-Pacific” / “The Quad” is a new watermark in the present US India embrace.
NEXT SLIDE 15
Becoming an effective advocate on Policy matters –
There are NO short cuts.
Regularly read latest reports by think tanks and foundations.
Peruse Industry focussed reports to complete the picture.
Read policy papers in other countries on subject matter background.
Examine Case studies of Policy formulation / intervention / change .
Enter into and continue a formal Dialogue with stakeholders.
Understand the opposition’s viewpoint.
Prepare your agenda and line of argument.
Active Policy intervention through PR and media outreach.
Work with knowledge partners, think tanks, Chambers.
Provide policy alternatives to government.
Active engagement with policy makers is necessary.
Policy is increasingly drafted outside Government by other players.
Policy is increasingly drafted outside the Legislative process.
There is notable engagement of NGOs in stakeholder engagement.
State governments engage with all levels of stakeholders for developing policy. USMNCs strategise to defeat unfavourable policy.
Competitor MNCs work together on issues of common interest.
Knowledge share on best global policies through seminars and workshops.
Major policy advocacy initiatives of US companies in India: Deloitte Amcham document as an example).
NEXT SLIDE 17
The Consultative process-Hallmark of a free democratic society:
Consultations were taking place pre-2014 too. US government regularly emphasised the need for open consultations before policy rethink.
Concept of Door knock - CEOs of US MNCs in India travel to Washington DC to collectively sensitise US Congresswomen and Senators on key issues faced by American companies operating in India.
Share a background document with US legislators and prepare them for a more meaningful interaction with their Indian counterparts.
US legislators take great pride in being of assistance to US industry. Why not in India?
Door knock is seen as improving the foothold of US industry in India.
Difference in perspectives between India and the US – between US MNCs and Indian MNCs! This is an annual exercise by Amchams in all countries. An annual pilgrimage to Washington DC is undertaken by CEOs of US companies operating in each of the major world economies. In a dynamic and changing business environment the documentation which will be presented to policy makers in the US must be impeccable and able to withstand scrutiny – Role of big four in preparing such documentation!
NEXT SLIDE 19
US Policy Advocacy bodies and Indian business:
US Chamber of Commerce
National Association of Manufacturers
AdvaMed Advanced Medical Technology Association
Federal agencies
Other US Policy and Advocacy organisations with limited Indian interests
NEXT SLIDE 20
Indian counterparts of US organisations for Economy and Business Policies:
AmCham India -member US Chamber of Commerce
USIBC also headed by a former Asst Secretary of State
USISPF (US-India Strategic Partnership forum)
Other bodies
NEXT SLIDE 21
Credibility of Policy organisations- a subjective approach:
Philanthropic organisations
Think Tanks
NGOs
Chambers of Commerce
Business and Trade associations
Advocacy Groups / Lobbyists
Comments on Policy Advocacy in India:
Legacy of failed past policies and resultant delay in new policy making
One size does not fit all
Unlike China India is neither homogenous nor mono cultural
Policies cannot be universal but tailor made for regions and States
Levels of nepotism in implementing policy
Concerned and impacted parties not sufficiently identified
Stakeholders not sensitized adequately
Pre-legislative consultation is a recent phenomena (2014)
Dichotomy in Post Policy Executive decisions
Antithetical attitudes of Centre and State on particular policies
Opaque procedures developed not following international best practices
No clarity in Developmental v/s Protectionist v/s Ambitious approach
Are the new policies implementable?
Have policy interventions and policy amendments been thought through?
Are proposed policies part of a larger policy change? or piecemeal
Cost-benefit analysis of welfare policies
Policy must always precede not follow Executive decisions
Policy making is done by a small number of players
Public opinion is shifting and capable of change
NEXT SLIDE 23
Benefits of studying Public Policy from an individual perspective
The practicing professional develops an ability to:
Look at the big picture - US-India as well as global scenario
Analyse the fundamental and underlying issues impacting policy change
Spot red herrings in the policy landscape and prevent project derailment
AWACS – Advance warning – brace team for incoming changes
Impact and influence positive change in sustainable policy making
Interface with senior management and cross sector networking
Question and Answers session
Thank You!