Labour Reforms, Climate Anxiety & Policy in Practice
Policy Post #218
Dear Reader,
Policy debates often move quickly, but their consequences unfold slowly.
This week’s edition focuses on that gap. On how reforms, especially in areas like labour, only reveal their real impact once they reach workplaces, institutions, and people’s everyday lives.
The pieces in this newsletter look closely at that journey. From explaining what India’s labour codes could change, to questioning how reform balances flexibility and protection, to surfacing key data points shaping public discourse, the focus is on understanding policy beyond intent.
We’ve curated explainers, commentary, and resources to help make these shifts easier to understand and engage with, you will find them at the end.
Let’s get into Policy Post #218.
Policy Charcha 💬
The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!
📺 Video Highlight
Rethinking Regulation in India — Ajay Shah
In this lecture, economist Ajay Shah offers a clear overview of how the field of regulation has evolved in India. Rather than focusing on individual laws or sectors, the talk steps back to examine the big ideas that shape regulatory thinking — how regulation is designed, why it often fails, and what effective regulatory frameworks require.
Shah links India’s regulatory challenges to broader economic and institutional literature, making this a valuable primer for anyone trying to understand regulation as a field, not just a compliance exercise. The lecture is especially useful for readers interested in how state capacity, incentives, and institutional design affect outcomes in practice.
💡 Essay Highlight
Four labour codes, one big leap
This column examines the intent and implications of India’s four labour codes, arguing that while the reforms aim to simplify and modernise labour regulation, their success will ultimately depend on implementation, state-level adoption, and safeguards for workers.
The essay raises critical questions about balancing flexibility with protection, and whether the new framework can genuinely improve conditions for India’s vast informal workforce.
A timely read as debates around labour reform, employment, and worker security continue to evolve.
📊 Policy in a Snapshot
This week’s snapshot highlights a key policy data point shaping public discourse right now a reminder that behind every statistic lies a set of choices, priorities, and trade-offs.
🔎 Databases and Guides:
Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!
🌟 Avenues for Upskilling
Public Policy Puzzle
Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.
🌍Climate + Health Corner
In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst
Anxiety in a Warming World: My Goodbye to Delhi’s Toxic Embrace
This personal essay from Down To Earth captures an increasingly visible but less discussed impact of climate change and pollution: their toll on mental health. Through the lens of living in Delhi’s toxic air, the piece reflects on how prolonged exposure to environmental stressors fuels anxiety, exhaustion, and a sense of loss, especially among young people.
The article reminds us that climate and health conversations cannot be limited to physical illness alone. Air quality, heat, and environmental degradation also shape emotional wellbeing, decisions about migration, and how people experience everyday life in cities. A timely read for those thinking about climate policy through a public health and lived-experience lens.
Careers Corner 💼
A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.
📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!
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