As we continue our journey, on completing 25 Years, we stay true to our vision of building a more empowered, equitable, just and democratic society. Meet some of our team members as they reflect on their experience at CBPS.
Video Production Credit: Veeville Consulting Pvt. Ltd
The video can be viewed here.
The Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, Bangalore completed its 25th year in February 2023. To mark this occasion, we hosted a two-day conference which focussed on the central role and relationship between institutions and public policy. There was an opening plenary session and a closing plenary session where eminent speakers deliberated on a host of related issues.
The objective of the conference was to explore the relationship between institutions and public policy, especially in relation to the following themes:
The videos of the conference can be viewed here:
A couple of videos capturing some of the key highlights of CBPS@25 were also produced and can be viewed here:
This February 2023, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies completed its 25 Years of Meaningful Existence and launched its new logo. Through the years, we have made significant contributions to policy discourse in the areas of Education, Public Finance and Governance, Gender, Health & Nutrition. #CBPS25Years
The video can be viewed here.
Brief: CBPS has been implementing an action-research project titled the ‘Bihar Mentorship Project (BMP)‘ in ten selected schools in Patna and Muzaffarpur since 2018 with Malala Fund’s support. But the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the students away from schools and added another challenge for us to reach the students. Just like many other realities which were challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic, our study exposed that the mainstream belief of deep-rooted penetration of mobile and internet in India is not necessarily true. CBPS made use of the existing infrastructure of post-network in India to reach out to students in Bihar to ensure their mentorship and education. This documentary encapsulates the process of this innovative solution of reaching out to students in times of emergency through letters while also highlighting the major principles and approaches that guided the entire action research project – whether through school or through letters. The documentary includes the narratives of various actors like parents, children and teachers on the usage of letters sent by CBPS and how their scepticism towards it altered incrementally as the letters became a normal part of their lives over the course of this project. The documentary goes beyond the usual romanticism and also highlights various obstacles faced by CBPS in ensuring the smooth running of a thoughtful and innovative model of ensuring education and mentorship both during pre-Covid and Covid periods.
The documentary can be viewed here.
Brief: As a part of the International Women’s Day 2021 (IWD 2021), we e-released a special multimedia presentation titled, ‘Dignity, respect, and justice for all: The question of gender in public policy’ by Dr. Niveditha Menon from CBPS.
She examined a simple question: How does public policy engage with gender? She drew on four studies done in CBPS to draw these conclusions. They are : (1) an evaluation of Mahila Samakhya, (2) re-design of the Bhagyalakshmi Scheme, (3) a gendered analysis of the Delhi Police, and (4) the engagement with women adyakshas. Using these studies, she focused on five themes: (1) gender as a concept, (2) gender as a subject, (3) gender as a citizen, (4) gender as a collective, and (5) gender as the future.
Dr. Niveditha Menon has over fifteen years of research and advocacy experience working in the areas of gender, violence, empowerment, qualitative methods, and more recently, education.
Brief: This was a memorial lecture that Centre for Budget and Policy Studies holds every year for one of its founding members, Dr. Poornima Vyasulu. This year due to the pandemic, it was a webinar wherein, Dr. Jyotsna Jha was in conversation with Prof. Vijay Padaki based on his work on Theatre in Education.
Prof. Padaki spoke on, ‘Educational Ideals Through the Theatre’.
This was held on 30 September 2020 via Zoom and was live-streamed on the CBPS YouTube page. The poster can be viewed here. The session can be viewed here.
Brief: CBPS organises an Annual Endowment Lecture on Budgets every year. However, this year due to the pandemic, we were not able to do so. Therefore, we organised a webinar on Budgets. This webinar was in the form of a conversation with Dr. Pronab Sen on ‘Budgets: Meaning and relevance in the context of Covid-19’. Prof. M S Sriram, Chairperson, Centre for Public Policy, IIM Bangalore and a CBPS Board member hosted the conversation.
Dr. Pronab Sen is Programme Director of the International Growth Centre (IGC) India Programme. He has held various key positions including Principal Adviser, Power and Energy at the Planning Commission of India, first Chief Statistician of India and Secretary, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, Government of India. As part of the Planning Commission, he was the principal author and coordinator of the 8th, 9th and 10th Five Year Plans.
The webinar was organised on 30 July 2020.
A poster for the webinar can be viewed here. The session can be viewed here.
Funder: MacArthur Foundation
Brief: Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS) undertook a 4.5 year long study, using diverse sources of secondary and primary data, both at national and state levels, to understand the reach, inclusion, processes, potentials and barriers of the ODL system at secondary education level.The major findings of the study related to who accesses the ODL system, why opt for ODL system, Completion Rates for those enrolled through the ODL mode, Who does this system work for and why and issues related to access for the marginalised sections, are being presented in this video.
Funder: International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Brief: For this project a documentary was made as well as eight short clips from Bihar and two short clips from Karnataka. To view the documentary and short clips please visit here. The project details are available here.
Funder: International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Brief: A brief introduction to the premise of the study, the research questions, and the methodology of the study. The project details are available here.
Total Running Time: 8 mins 16 secs
Funder: International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Brief: This project aims to understand the barriers to economic empowerment of women inherent in societal systems and solutions to such barriers by looking through the lens of a collective action based programme in the rural areas of India. This research study evaluates the impacts of Mahila Samakhya on women’s economic empowerment in Bihar and Karnataka using Randomised Control Trial method and Ethnography. The project details are available here.
Total Running Time: 6 mins 08 secs
Funder: Global Development Network (GDN)
Brief: A study on “Enhancing Quality through Technology Based Solutions: A Study of Radio and Audio Modes of Intervention in Elementary Schools of Karnataka” is presented here in this film. This study was a part of a 15 country project titled ‘Strengthening Institutions to Improve Public Expenditure Accountability’. The project, study and film are sponsored by Global Development Netowkr (GDN). The project details are available here.
Total Running Time: 5 mins 45 secs
Funder: CBPS
Brief: Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS) conducts Lecture Series on Budget Issues. This is held at the Indian Institute of World Culture. These videos are from the 2nd lecture on State Budget issues, held on May 13, 2009.
Total Running Time: 69 mins 19 secs ( in 9 parts)
Funder: CBPS
Brief: A manual called “The Budget of Apna Pradesh” was published, explaining how state budgets in India work. Its main focus was the budget and how it can be used. The short film was made as a part of this manual in 2009 for greater reach and impact.
Total Running Time: 23 mins 03 secs (in 3 parts)
Funder: Ford Foundation
Brief: This film was shot at Jaisingpur town in Kolhapur district relating to documenting existing practices of municipal governance and explore the role of elected representatives in municipal governance. This film is part of a project titled “Enhancing Capacity and Accountability in Urban Governance” (2006-08) funded by Ford Foundation. The film was produced by Ms. Swati Dandekar during the year 2007.
Total Running Time: 50 mins 26 secs (in 4 parts)
Funder: John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
Brief: This is a short film on Reproductive Child Health (RCH) services and the Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was a part of the project titled “Reproductive Child Health and Budgets in Karnataka”. It was produced by Mr. K. Suchendra Prasad in 2007.
Total Running Time: 34 mins 44 secs (in 4 parts)
Funder: Ford Foundation
Brief: This film was shot at Jaisingpur town in Kolhapur district relating to documenting existing practices of municipal governance and explore the role of elected representatives in municipal governance. This film is part of a project titled “Enhancing Capacity and Accountability in Urban Governance” (2006-08) funded by Ford Foundation. The film was produced by Ms. Swati Dandekar during the year 2007.
Total Running Time: 50 mins 29 secs (in 7 parts)
Funder: CBPS
Brief: The 74th Amendment to the Constitution ushered in a new era in urban governance. Decentralisation became the paradigm for reforming and assessing governance practices in urban centres of India. The film is located in Karwar and gives a view of the working of its City Municipal Council (CMC) from within, at a time of crisis. It examines operational governance issues such as access to information, relationships within the CMC as well as those within the State, revenue generation, and the ability to engage with the complex processes of creating and maintaining public infrastructure. This is a study of the institution of democracy and self government in a small town from the point of view of the constraints, stresses and relationships that it must be contend with.
Total Running Time: 41 mins 03 secs
Funder: John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
Brief: The film illustrates the role of elected representatives in arena of reproductive and child health care along with the steps for a proper maternal care. The film speaks of the role of transport at the time of maternal emergencies and the role elected representatives can play by offering financial assistance through the Village Panchayat. This film was widely screened and appreciated in the academic circles. It has also been extensively used for trainings by many NGOs working in the field of maternal health in Karnataka (e.g. Myrada). This film was also screened by the Doordarshan Bangalore station and other substations of Karnataka.
Total Running Time: 24 mins 36 secs (in 3 parts)
Funder: Brookings Institution
Brief: This documentary was made which focused on the ground level issues in the Health and Education sector that can potentially affect the expenditure pattern. The study analysed the district level (Zilla Panchayat) expenditures in the areas of Health and Education. The study also analysed the views of people at the offices (elected representatives and officers) to elicit their views and issues related to utilization of funds in the Health and Education sector. The documentary was also screened at Brookings Institution.
Total Running Time: 50 mins 07 secs (in 7 parts)