M.Sc. in Public Policy ( MPP)

The Gokhale Institute Of Politics And Economics, Pune, was established in 1930 by the Servants of India Society. It is the oldest research and training institute in Economics in the country. It is dedicated to research into the socio-economic dimensions of Indian society and carries forward the legacy of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Gokhale was the one who founded the Servants of India Society in 1905. His rationale was to promote education, and develop capabilities among Indians to govern a newly independent nation. Over the decades, the Institute has established strong credentials in empirical and analytical research. The Institute is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950. In recognition of its contribution to higher learning and research in Economics, the Institute was awarded the status of institution Deemed to be a University, in 1993.

The objectives of the Institute comprise two broad paths – research and academics. The primary objective right from its inception is is to conduct research on the socio-economic dimensions of the Indian society, study the development programs underway, assess their efficacy and last-mile delivery of public services, study the changes in the Indian economy and society, and impart training to researchers in this domain. The Institute has an equally important objective to train students in economics and economic policy-making, public policy in all disciplines, the economics of development, political economies, and sectors such as finance, business, agriculture, health and education. The thrust areas of research at the Institute are agricultural economics, rural development & cooperation, population studies, input-output studies for planning & development, monetary economics & finance, public economics, and international economics.

An unmatched legacy

• The Gokhale Institute Of Politics And Economics is renowned for its initiatives in qualitative research in diverse areas of economic theory and practice. Surveys, research, informed debates, analysis and critique generated at the Institute have shaped the public discourse on major development initiatives. It has helped formulate economic policy and plans at the regional level, especially in the State of Maharashtra. Some of the research has also contributed to policymaking at the national level.

The Institute has contributed to research which has been instrumental in:

• Development of Asia’s first cooperative sugar factory in India (at Pravaranagar, Loni) and subsequent support to the cooperative sector
• Development of methodology for rural data collection, used by the National Statistical Office (NSO)
• Development of methodology for national income estimation in rural India, in use by the National Statistical Office (NSO)
• Development of methodology for social cost-benefit analysis of large-scale irrigation projects
• Design of the institutional framework for the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
• Formulation of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in Maharashtra, which became a role model for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
• Formulation of the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Design of weather-based insurance products
• Design of actuarial rating of National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Design of inflation-indexed bonds for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
• Formulae for pricing of electricity generated through biomass and bagasse
• Evaluation of the comprehensive District Agricultural Plans for various districts in Maharashtra
• Study of the Impact of MGNREGA on wage rates, cost of production, food security, and rural-urban migration