Our research

The India Institute is home to academic staff who pursue research within multiple social science disciplines, employing a range of research methods. Our research focuses on four broad themes:

Democracy, the state and political institutions in India
India’s political economy, including the dynamics of state-capital relations and the politics of poverty reduction
Indian foreign policy and strategic studies
Society and economy in India, including the role of caste in structuring social and economic life.

Most of our research is comparative – sub-national and cross-national – in nature. We explore and explain India’s substantial internal diversity, as well as compare India with other countries in South Asia and beyond the region.

Since 2011, we have received over £2.5 million in research funding from the British Academy, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), European Commission, Leverhulme Trust, and UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI).