Research

Building on our ongoing research project on 'Effective Ethical Frameworks for the State as an Enabler of Innovation', our team authored a policy brief titled 'Recovering the ‘Public’ in India’s Digital Public Infrastructure Strategy'. In this brief, we draw on our investigation of India's digital public infrastructure (DPI) journey, especially…

Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs) are at the heart of India’s development strategy, promising efficiency, scalability, and innovation in public service delivery. However, as DPIs gain prominence, it is crucial to ensure that they remain truly public—rooted in equity, inclusivity, and ethical governance.

On January 10, 2025, IT for…

The rapid expansion of algorithmic management in the workplace aligns with capital’s imperative to enhance productivity and profit through the close monitoring of labor. However, contemporary algorithmic management is reshaping power asymmetries between labor and capital in new ways. This report by Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) and the Fair,…

Digital infrastructure-led development has occupied centre stage in the global policy circles. The discourse in India focuses on leapfrogging the traditional stages of development with the use of Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs). The vision is to build efficient, rapid and scalable  DPIs for public service delivery while paving the way for…

Instead of flexi-work and increased labor participation for women, the platform economy has deepened intersectional inequalities—of gender, class, geography, and race—making women workers more vulnerable. At the Beijing+30 conjuncture, we urgently need multi-scalar policy responses that can get our institutions…

The starting point of this paper is that the value extraction apparatus of digital labor platforms can be understood only by deploying a ‘reproductive lens’ and not through a exclusive focus on their algorithmic optimization strategies in mediating the labor marketplace. Rooted in an in-depth empirical exploration of the experiences of 19 women…

Why do micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) struggle with using digital marketplaces such as Amazon or Facebook for their operations? How can we make digital marketplaces more advantageous for smaller players? In this blogpost, I reflect on some of the key findings of a study that I conducted titled “Beyond platform integration –…

As part of the second edition of the National Gender Fellowship, the Bengaluru Institute facilitated an opportunity for all the Fellows to come together and learn from prominent practitioners on issues of gender in the digital economy. Over two days, the participants had the chance to refine their research projects and receive vital mentorship…

IT for Change wrote a chapter - "RTE in Karnataka: Pursuit of Equitable and Inclusive Education through RTE", for the publication, "Implementation of the right of children to Free and Compulsory Education act, 2009: Where do we stand? Status report 2024" of the Right to Education Cell (RTE CELL) of The Council for Social Development (CSD).…

This report explores the digitalization of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India's agriculture and allied sectors, focusing on how these enterprises are navigating the evolving digital landscape. MSMEs are a critical part of the Indian economy, contributing significantly to employment, industrial production, and exports. However…