Professor Louise Tillin
Professor of Politics
Research interests
- International development
- Policy
- Politics
Biography
Louise Tillin is a Professor of Politics in the King’s India Institute.
Louise’s research interests span federalism, democracy and territorial politics in India, and the history and politics of social policy design and implementation. Her books include Remapping India: New States and their Political Origins (Hurst & Co/Oxford University Press, 2013), Politics of Welfare: Comparisons across Indian States, edited with Rajeshwari Deshpande and KK Kailash (New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2015), Indian Federalism (New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2019) and The Politics of Poverty Reduction in India: The UPA Government, 2004 to 2014 (with James Chiriyankandath, Diego Maiorano and James Manor) (New Delhi, Orient Blackswan, 2020).
Her new book Making India Work: The Development of Welfare in a Multi-Level Democracy (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming) is a history of the development of social policy in India over the last century. The book points to the centrality of dilemmas about employment generation to the design of India’s welfare architecture. It also demonstrates the significance of welfare policies as a component of the building of India’s national economy and polity in the decades before and after Independence from British colonial rule in 1947. As the book shows, the ideas and interests that have shaped the historical design of social policies continue to shape India’s welfare regime today.
Other recent research, supported by the British Academy and conducted in collaboration with Oliver Heath, Sanjay Kumar, Jyoti Mishra and Sandhya Venkateswaran, has examined electoral perceptions around health in India. A summary of this research can be accessed here.
Louise has previously led research projects on subnational comparative politics and social policy in India (British Academy International Partnership, with Lokniti/CSDS), on explaining electoral change in urban and rural India (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)), and on India’s Political Economy (UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) Trilateral Partnership with UC Berkeley and Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR). Between 2013-7, she was part of a multi-country research programme on the politics of reducing poverty and inequality across Brazil, China, India and South Africa supported by the ESRC. Louise held a Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2018-19) for a project on Welfare and Capitalism in India: A Political History. She was also the King’s Principal Investigator on the Horizon 2020 European Training Network Global India led by Dublin City University. She is Managing Editor of the journal Regional and Federal Studies, and an editorial advisory board member of Pacific Affairs.
Before joining King’s in 2011, Louise was Joyce Lambert Research Fellow in Politics at Newnham College, Cambridge. Louise holds a DPhil in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex. She was a Thouron Scholar (MA South Asia Regional Studies) at the University of Pennsylvania and has a BA (Hons) History from Cambridge.
Research
- Federalism, democracy and territorial politics
- History and politics of Indian social policy
- Political economy of development in India
- Subnational comparative politics
Teaching
Undergraduate/Postgraduate
- 6YYD0021/7YYD0034 Governing Complex Societies: Federalism, Decentralisation and Development
Further details
Research
Global India European Training Network
Global India is a Horizon 2020 funded, Marie Curie European Training Network providing integrated training in research and transferable skills to PhD students
Project status: Ongoing
Political Economy & Institutions research group
Dissecting the problems of change, particularly looking at how societies face the challenge of becoming richer and more democratic.
Global South Research Group
The Global South research group brings together scholars engaged in research on international political and economic trends, non-European perspectives, and south-south comparisons.
Urbanisation, Rural Development and Social Transformations research group
A research group examining urban-rural development and its effect on the developing world.
News
King's expert on federalism quoted in Indian Supreme Court's tax judgement
Professor Louise Tillin's award-winning article was quoted by the dissenting judge in a case about centre-state division of powers.
New research suggests that health is a larger concern for Indian voters than previously believed
The first-ever survey on electoral perceptions around health in India shows that health, though not a top priority, does influence voting decisions.
India's foreign policy geared towards securing national interest and maximising opportunities
India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami spoke about India’s foreign policy and trade relations, in a lecture hosted by King’s India Institute.
King's India Institute celebrates ten years of impact
Now in its 10th year, the King’s India Institute has been celebrating its many achievements and the importance of deepening public understanding of...
Indian Supreme Court judge addresses courts' role in protecting human rights
On Monday 20 June, Honourable Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, from India’s Supreme Court, addressed an audience of over 200 people at an event organised by...
Director of King's India Institute wins Best Article Award
Professor Louise Tillin’s article ‘Building a National Economy: Origin of Centralized Federalism in India’ has won the John Kincaid Best Article Award,...
Examining the economic and social impact of COVID-19 on India
A new website from the King's India Institute presents a real-time picture of COVID-19's impact on individual states across India.
Lines in the Hills: Indo-Chinese Rivalry in the Himalayas
Following a clash at the Himalayan border in mid-June – the most violent confrontation between India and China in decades – the King’s India Institute and Lau...
Events
From Red Tape to a Red Line: How land record digitisation can stall infrastructure investment
Dr Aliz Toth will deliver a talk on land record digitisation in India
Please note: this event has passed.
Elections in the World’s Largest Democracy: How Does This Reshape Global Politics
Journalist and anchor Sonia Singh will deliver this seminar at the King's India Institute.
Please note: this event has passed.
2024 and Beyond: The Implications of India’s Election Results
Roundtable discussion with Christophe Jaffrelot, Louise Tillin, Anit Mukherjee and Sunil Mitra Kumar.
Please note: this event has passed.
The Colonial Constitution: An Origin Story
This talk delves into the writings of Indian leaders and debates around the Constitution.
Please note: this event has passed.
Unsettling developments: How different 'value(s)' of land influence outcomes of a Special Economic Zone in rural India
A seminar by Dr Soumya Mishra
Please note: this event has passed.
India’s Foreign Policy and Trade Relations
King’s India Institute will host India’s High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Vikram K Doraiswami for a lecture.
Please note: this event has passed.
Change and continuity in South Asia: Unpacking identity, security and technology
Join Kriti Kapila and Rohan Mukherjee for the keynote address, opening the 2022 King's India Institute Graduate Conference.
Please note: this event has passed.
Maids in movement: Unionising domestic workers in India
Hear from Professor Samita Sen (University of Cambridge) on the class, gender, domestic workers and unions as part of the British Association of South Asian...
Please note: this event has passed.
India as a Strategic Actor in the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from US, UK, Europe and Russia
The panel discussion is a part of King’s India Institute's special session series, India in the Indo-Pacific.
Please note: this event has passed.
India in the Indo-Pacific: drivers and constraints
This event will explore the factors that are shaping India’s policy approach towards the region, as well as major constraints that affect India’s Indo-Pacific...
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
The political economy of populism in India
PROFESSOR LOUISE TILLIN explores the sources of populism in India, its recent developments, and what this means for the 2024 general elections.
A democratic health check: why India shows the need for democracies to prioritise healthcare
Dr Louise Tillin and Sandhya Venkateswaran discuss the politics and democracy of healthcare in India as part of the Build Back Better Together essay series.
DecovIndia – interdisciplinary research at King's in times of a pandemic
A look into collaborative working on the DecovIndia Project at King's during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spotlight
Reimagining India's health system
Why is that India's voters appear to place curiously little emphasis on health when it comes to voting decisions? Professor Louise Tillin is investigating...
Research
Global India European Training Network
Global India is a Horizon 2020 funded, Marie Curie European Training Network providing integrated training in research and transferable skills to PhD students
Project status: Ongoing
Political Economy & Institutions research group
Dissecting the problems of change, particularly looking at how societies face the challenge of becoming richer and more democratic.
Global South Research Group
The Global South research group brings together scholars engaged in research on international political and economic trends, non-European perspectives, and south-south comparisons.
Urbanisation, Rural Development and Social Transformations research group
A research group examining urban-rural development and its effect on the developing world.
News
King's expert on federalism quoted in Indian Supreme Court's tax judgement
Professor Louise Tillin's award-winning article was quoted by the dissenting judge in a case about centre-state division of powers.
New research suggests that health is a larger concern for Indian voters than previously believed
The first-ever survey on electoral perceptions around health in India shows that health, though not a top priority, does influence voting decisions.
India's foreign policy geared towards securing national interest and maximising opportunities
India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami spoke about India’s foreign policy and trade relations, in a lecture hosted by King’s India Institute.
King's India Institute celebrates ten years of impact
Now in its 10th year, the King’s India Institute has been celebrating its many achievements and the importance of deepening public understanding of...
Indian Supreme Court judge addresses courts' role in protecting human rights
On Monday 20 June, Honourable Dr Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, from India’s Supreme Court, addressed an audience of over 200 people at an event organised by...
Director of King's India Institute wins Best Article Award
Professor Louise Tillin’s article ‘Building a National Economy: Origin of Centralized Federalism in India’ has won the John Kincaid Best Article Award,...
Examining the economic and social impact of COVID-19 on India
A new website from the King's India Institute presents a real-time picture of COVID-19's impact on individual states across India.
Lines in the Hills: Indo-Chinese Rivalry in the Himalayas
Following a clash at the Himalayan border in mid-June – the most violent confrontation between India and China in decades – the King’s India Institute and Lau...
Events
From Red Tape to a Red Line: How land record digitisation can stall infrastructure investment
Dr Aliz Toth will deliver a talk on land record digitisation in India
Please note: this event has passed.
Elections in the World’s Largest Democracy: How Does This Reshape Global Politics
Journalist and anchor Sonia Singh will deliver this seminar at the King's India Institute.
Please note: this event has passed.
2024 and Beyond: The Implications of India’s Election Results
Roundtable discussion with Christophe Jaffrelot, Louise Tillin, Anit Mukherjee and Sunil Mitra Kumar.
Please note: this event has passed.
The Colonial Constitution: An Origin Story
This talk delves into the writings of Indian leaders and debates around the Constitution.
Please note: this event has passed.
Unsettling developments: How different 'value(s)' of land influence outcomes of a Special Economic Zone in rural India
A seminar by Dr Soumya Mishra
Please note: this event has passed.
India’s Foreign Policy and Trade Relations
King’s India Institute will host India’s High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Vikram K Doraiswami for a lecture.
Please note: this event has passed.
Change and continuity in South Asia: Unpacking identity, security and technology
Join Kriti Kapila and Rohan Mukherjee for the keynote address, opening the 2022 King's India Institute Graduate Conference.
Please note: this event has passed.
Maids in movement: Unionising domestic workers in India
Hear from Professor Samita Sen (University of Cambridge) on the class, gender, domestic workers and unions as part of the British Association of South Asian...
Please note: this event has passed.
India as a Strategic Actor in the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from US, UK, Europe and Russia
The panel discussion is a part of King’s India Institute's special session series, India in the Indo-Pacific.
Please note: this event has passed.
India in the Indo-Pacific: drivers and constraints
This event will explore the factors that are shaping India’s policy approach towards the region, as well as major constraints that affect India’s Indo-Pacific...
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
The political economy of populism in India
PROFESSOR LOUISE TILLIN explores the sources of populism in India, its recent developments, and what this means for the 2024 general elections.
A democratic health check: why India shows the need for democracies to prioritise healthcare
Dr Louise Tillin and Sandhya Venkateswaran discuss the politics and democracy of healthcare in India as part of the Build Back Better Together essay series.
DecovIndia – interdisciplinary research at King's in times of a pandemic
A look into collaborative working on the DecovIndia Project at King's during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spotlight
Reimagining India's health system
Why is that India's voters appear to place curiously little emphasis on health when it comes to voting decisions? Professor Louise Tillin is investigating...