Team IIM Ahmedabad and JSW Group inaugurate the JSW School of Public Policy’s
new state-of-the-art building at IIMA campus
BILKULONLINE
- Designed by renowned architect and educator Rahul Mehrotra, faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
- JSW SPP’s mission is to serve as a forum for education, research, and policy discussions
Ahmedabad, Feb 21:
February 21, 2023: Leaders from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), a premier global management institute, and US$ 22 billion JSW Group, India’s leading business conglomerate, today inaugurated the JSW School of Public Policy’s (JSW SPP) building, a state-of-the-art multi-facility centre at IIMA’s New Campus.
IIMA representatives including Pankaj R Patel, Chairman, IIMA Board of Governors; Professor Arindam Banerjee, Director-in-charge, IIMA; and Professor Namrata Chindarkar, Chairperson, JSW SPP as well as the leadership team of JSW Group Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group; Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation; and Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement and Paints, participated in the inaugural ceremony. The inauguration was also attended by dignitaries from academia, industry, and the government along with faculty and other members of the IIMA community.
For the JSW Group, IIMA served as the ideal platform for the establishment of a School of Public Policy as the Institute offered in-house expertise and capacity through its highly qualified faculty members. Since its inception, the JSW SPP has endeavoured to bring together stakeholders across public, private, and social enterprises as well as policy makers to facilitate public policy dialogues that would facilitate exchange of ideas and contribute meaningfully to India’s policy reforms.
Professor Arindam Banerjee, Director-in-Charge, IIMA said, “IIMA has a strong legacy of making exceptional contributions to India’s policy making space. A significant amount of research, teaching and advisory work has been undertaken, creating for IIMA a reputation for innovative, grounded and future-oriented contribution to improving policy formulation and implementation. The JSW School was conceptualized to be an influential think tank that can contribute to building this public policy framework for the state and the country”
The JSW SPP School took shape with the generous support of the JSW Group. Even as the brick-and-mortar facility was underway in the last few years, the school took the lead in bringing together stakeholders across the spectrum to facilitate public policy dialogues that would engage, influence and contribute meaningfully to policy formulation.
In his inauguration speech, Pankaj R Patel, Chairperson, IIMA Board of Governors said, “India has led the way by showing the world how policy innovation through the use of technology, private sector involvement, and community partnerships can be brought about while remaining committed to equity. Just like in business, innovation and disruption is also required in the public policy domain. Public leaders need to experiment with new models of governance and new modes of service delivery. IIMA has been known to create management leaders and it wishes to grow this footprint by shaping a new generation of public leaders. The JSW School of Policy came into being as an outcome of this vision with the support of the JSW Group.
The school, with its enviable infrastructure, also aims to become the platform for hosting the best minds on various aspects of public policy.
Commenting on the JSW Group’s partnership with IIM Ahmedabad for JSW SPP, Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of JSW Foundation, “Education is the cornerstone of building a better future for our country. JSW Group has been dedicated to promoting education in various forms across the value chain. The partnership with IIM Ahmedabad enables us to deliver focussed Business Management curriculum in Public Policy. The curriculum of JSW School of Public Policy has been designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of public policy and its various dimensions delivered by a faculty of renowned academics and practitioners who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the classroom. Our aim is not just to create skilled professionals but to create empowered leaders who are committed to serving our country with dedication and excellence.”
According to Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of JSW Group, “India’s roadmap to become a US$ 10 trillion economy requires structural collaboration from the public sector, private enterprise as well as Academia. These collaborations are crucial to evolve the next phase of policy reforms and to plan efficiently for the next decade of India’s economic growth. Public policy is the backbone of our society and linked to good governance. Over the last couple of decades, we have witnessed the positive impact of public policy on our society as well as certain challenges. Hence, there is a crucial need to promote Public Policy education in India so that we have a cadre of skilled public policy professionals who can design, implement, and evaluate policies that are effective, efficient, and equitable. The JSW School for Public Policy at IIM Ahmedabad campus has been established to meet this need. Our aim is to create a world-class institution that will foster a new generation of public policy professionals who are knowledgeable, skilled, and ethical. The School will engage with domain experts to identify research gaps and training needs necessary to promote and institutionalize new ideas. We are hopeful that these ideas will empower our future generations to eventually translate the impactful research into world-class innovations leading to policy solutions.”
As part of the MoU between IIMA and the JSW Group, the JSW SPP, will undertake cutting edge research studies on various aspects of public policy in India with global reference. The findings from such research will inform and support India’s economic and societal transition. Some of the key themes that JSW SPP will focus on include institutional reforms to enhance state capacity and improve governance; policies for sustainable development including energy, water and climate change; data-driven and experimental work to identify policy impact and inform policy design; and creating 21st century public administrators. The school will enjoy academic freedom in authoring this report.
Parth Jindal a management professional was glad to see his parents donating for this noble cause since he felt it was the dire need of the country to have such premium schools of excellence that can help in planning and train the planner. Parth had keenly followed such system in US while he was studying there.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by a high-profile panel discussion on ‘Making Public Policy Education Relevant for India’s Development’ with Professor Pranab Bardhan, Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor Arvind Panagariya and Dr Shamika Ravi as the panelists.
JSW SPP is designed by the renowned architect and educator Rahul Mehrotra, faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. It covers more than 56,000 square feet within IIMA’s New Campus. In Professor Mehrotra’s words, the central ideas that inspired him while designing the building including the creation of an armature with a central promenade that brings together spaces of disparate characters and scales and specifically enhances sociability. The concept also integrates greenery across all levels throughout the building, structural innovations that allow play of light, natural ventilation and most importantly, the creation of a space that favours social interactions. The building houses a large forum, a 120-seater auditorium, one sixty-seater classrooms, two seminar rooms – 60-seater and 30-seater, eight syndicate rooms, 18 faculty offices, a library extension, program office, and spaces for research and teaching assistants.
Outlining the future plans of the JSW SPP, Professor Chindarkar said, “The JSW School of Public Policy (JSW SPP) has set out a vision to develop a unique school of thought on public policy that embraces and tries to make sense of the complex and oftentimes messy policy cape of India.