The Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies (ADCPS) at IIT Bombay was conceived as a centre for research, education, training, and practice. In order to meet a growing need and demand for policy professionals in India, it was thought necessary that ADCPS have a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) programme as well as a PhD programme. ADCPS launched its PhD in Public Policy (MPP) programme from the Autumn semester of 2017.

ADCPS envisions myriad ways in which its PhD and MPP programmes and graduates from these programmes can contribute to IIT Bombay’s intellectual expansion as well as to India’s polity and society. The aim is to produce professionals or academics who seek to serve or lead in the interest of the public. These academic programmes will reflect the changing dynamics in today’s world and the need for policy to keep up with technological advancements, globalization, nuanced and complex public debates, and the growing trend of building rights based democracies. Policy can no longer be contained within the realm of government and bureaucracy; it has percolated into civil society, academic institutions, and the private sector. Through the programmes, ADCPS aims to give its students tools which are applicable in diverse situations and teach students how to adapt to various fields, contexts, or situations. Students of the programmes can then find themselves fitting into and contributing to the public or private sectors, working within the government, or in the not for profit/NGO sector. They may choose to work for large corporations as analysts or lobbyists, or may do policy research in IOs, think tanks, or universities. Finally, ADCPS in its academic programmes aims to capitalize on IIT Bombay’s existing institutional strengths and build a department that can be a hub for public policy research and expertise. ADCPS’s academic programmes integrates public policy, social sciences, and technology.