IPRG PUBLICATION

AI Governance and Institutional Readiness in Public Sector Systems: A Comparative Study Between India and Nigeria

5/5 - (2 votes)

Authors : Linda John Obiorah, Banavath Ananditha, Mrinalini Menon, Paridhi Passi, B. R. Sanjeev Naick

Citation :

Linda John Obiorah, Banavath Ananditha, Mrinalini Menon, Paridhi Passi& B. R. Sanjeev Naick. (2026). AI Governance and Institutional Readiness in Public Sector Systems: A Comparative Study Between India and Nigeria. Institute For Policy Research and Governance, 1(14). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21479014

Linda John Obiorah, Banavath Ananditha, Mrinalini Menon, Paridhi Passi& B. R. Sanjeev Naick. (2026). AI Governance and Institutional Readiness in Public Sector Systems: A Comparative Study Between India and Nigeria. Institute For Policy Research and Governance, 1(14). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21479014

Download Full Paper

Abstract :

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is proving to be a crucial technology to enhance public service and governance. This paper examines how governance frameworks and institutional capacities shape AI adoption and management within government systems. By adopting a qualitative comparative case study analysis, using India and Nigeria as primary cases and South Korea as a benchmark for successful AI governance implementation, this paper examines the governance and institutional preparedness of AI in the public sector and identifies practical lessons on building governance structures and institutional foundations for responsible AI adoption. The analysis suggests that India possesses a more evolved framework for AI governance, enforced by the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2018), and the India AI Mission (2024), a well-developed digital public infrastructure, and a strong focus on the development of skills and training. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2024) indicates Nigeria’s growing institutional commitment to AI, as well as notable strides towards preparedness. South Korea is introduced as a benchmark, representing a more advanced AI governance model that offers concrete lessons for developing economies. Despite these disparities, the common concerns include the disconnect between policy aspirations and policy implementation, difficulty in developing specific AI laws, and concerns about accountability, transparency, bias, privacy and digital inclusion. The study calls for specific AI legislation, autonomous regulatory bodies, and more effective data governance between developing countries. It contends that institutional building and the institutionalization process are key to having responsible, sustainable and adaptive AI governance in the Global South, and that governance progress must be measured against concrete indicators like enforcement action, institutional capacity, digital literacy rates, public accountability and operationalization of independent bodies rather than policy adoption alone.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence Governance, Institutional Readiness, Public Sector AI, Digital Governance, AI Regulation.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Gendered Human Capital Misallocation in India: Education, Labour Market Barriers, and Policy Failure

Authors: Simran Sinha; Beaulah Anton; Priyansi; Rezaa Sharma

Abstract:

India has made significant progress in expanding female education, yet women’s labour market outcomes remain disproportionately poor. This study reframes this paradox as an issue of gendered human capital misallocation, rather than a deficit in skill formation. It examines how the gendered labour market constraints impede the educated women from productive employment, leading to underutilisation of skills and decreased economic efficiency.

Utilising a qualitative-descriptive approach and secondary data from multiple databases, this paper examines unemployment, occupational segregation, unpaid care work, and wage disparities between educated women and their male counterparts. The findings show a persistent education-employment paradox: increased female education correlates with high unemployment, informalisation, and labour force withdrawal. These patterns are driven by demand-side discrimination, inflexible work arrangements, safety and challenges in mobility, and unequal distribution of care responsibilities. The analysis argues that government policies have largely prioritised educational expansion without addressing labour market absorption, therefore sustaining gendered inefficiencies. Addressing this inefficient allocation is what makes it important for optimal human capital utilisation and for inclusive economic growth.

Keywords:
Human Capital, Female labour, Labour market segmentation, Gender wage gap, public policy, employment, Human capital misallocation

Gender Neutrality In Law , State & Society

Abstract

An interdisciplinary approach is attempted in this paper to analyse the interplay between gender neutrality and
access to justice. While gender neutrality is often said to be a very progressive idea in law, a host of new problems
are generated when it is applied in a postcolonial society like India. The paper draws from the disciplines such
as law, political science, international relations, history, and statistics to criticize the assumption that neutrality
would bring forth justice all by itself.
Legal analyses show that gender-neutral laws may in fact sometimes uphold patriarchal structures when no steps
are taken to address the underlying inequalities. The political approach ponders over the questions of how
governance, policy language, and representation impact the availability of justice for gender-diverse individuals.
From a data standpoint, it illustrates how binary data catapult non-binary identities into the margins. From a
historical and international perspective, the modern laws are seated within colonial legacies and critique the
global human rights discourse for its limited inclusiveness.
We argue that gender neutrality, though important, remains alone insufficient. A meaningful framework of access
to justice must be context-sensitive, historically aware, and structurally inclusive of all gender identities.

Keywords: Gender Neutrality, Access to Justice, Constitutional Law, Gender-Based Violence, Public Policy,
Legal Reform, Colonial Legacy, International Norms, Gender Data, Inclusive Governance

Shaping of Perceptions & Misperceptions Among Masses During War Escalations : A Comparative Analysis of Information Dynamics, Media Influence, and Perception Management

Authors : Hridoy Pran Sarma , Ashi Agrawal

Abstract :

In the modern-day world, war is not only about fighting on the battlefield but also
manipulating the belief of the opponent country using intelligence. During war escalation, people form opinions based not on their personal experience, but from news stories and government releases, along with other posts on social media. As a result, they become more susceptible to misperceptions; these are misconstrued situations employed to frighten, sow discord and garner the unthinking support of the public for the providing of military firepower. Due to an increase in the use of social media and modern means of communication, this task has become even easier as not everyone is well-equipped to measure what is happening during wars. Misconceived observations of the conflict can aggravate and harm the process of resolution. The paper seeks to ascertain the role of the government and media in distorting the public opinion during wars by analysing case studies such as Russia – Ukraine War and other major wars worldwide. Usage of management perceptions, misinformation, and the war in which does escalate.

Keywords:
Perception Management, Misinformation, War Escalation, Public Opinion, Media Literacy, Information Warfare.

The Implementation Gap in Youth Entrepreneurship Policy: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and India

Authors : Rachael Osioyemi Olaiya, Shreeya Gupta, Arya Rani, Nithin Reddy

Abstract :

India and Nigeria are two of the world’s largest developing economies, both marked by young, fast-growing populations and fundamental youth unemployment, prompting governments to create entrepreneurship programmes. Despite these programmes, most businesses remain informal. Roughly 80% of Nigerian SMEs fail within five years, and nearly 90% of India’s youth workforce is informally employed. Output-focused evaluations fail to capture the implementation gap between formal policy and its on-the-ground effectiveness. This paper evaluates why youth entrepreneurship policies in India and Nigeria consistently fail to produce sustainable outcomes, and what both countries can learn from economies that have successfully closed this gap. Adopting a qualitative-comparative case study approach, the paper examines India and Nigeria as primary cases benchmarked against South Korea and Rwanda. Drawing on national MSME surveys, ILOSTAT, World Bank Enterprise Survey, GEM India, and government program evaluations, the paper applies Stam’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework as the analytical lens across all four countries. The analysis reveals that India and Nigeria’s ecosystems remain weak across formal institutions, finance, infrastructure, and intermediate organisations, reflecting a governance approach that controls outcomes rather than building conditions required by businesses to grow and formalise. South Korea’s unified SME Ministry, collateral-free policy funds, alongside Rwanda’s regulatory reforms, demonstrate that closing this gap requires deliberate ecosystem governance rather than direct financial interjection. The paper concludes that high failure rates reflect design flaws in ecosystems built for the formalized urban minority, not low entrepreneurial ambition, and calls for development policy to measure success by accessible infrastructure rather than loan disbursement volume.

Keywords:
Youth Entrepreneurship, Implementation Gap, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Informality, Ecosystem Governance, India, Nigeria

BRICS Plus and Contested Multilateralism: Policy Coordination, Internal Tensions, and the Role of Emerging Middle Powers in Global Governance Reform

Authors: Kamatchi Devi S; Revanth Udutha; Vanshita Baid

Abstract

Academic research has increased its focus on BRICS Plus expansion which occurred during the early 2020s because researchers want to determine whether this alliance serves as a counterforce against the Western-dominated liberal international order or operates mainly as a national interest-driven platform. The research investigates how BRICS Plus members coordinate their policies while assessing their global governance reform efforts and studying how the group handles internal conflicts which arise from the ongoing competition between India and China. The study uses qualitative research methods to analyze secondary data from BRICS summit declarations and institutional documents and existing academic literature. BRICS Plus shows increasing rhetorical unity and institutional governance reform collaboration but actual governance reform partnerships remain limited because of power imbalances and different national objectives and clashing leadership goals. Indian, Brazilian, and South African emerging middle powers use BRICS to improve their strategic independence and international recognition instead of establishing a unified movement against existing power structures. The research demonstrates that BRICS Plus functions as a contested multilateral system which permits international governance changes to proceed through minor
adjustments that avoid major transformations of the current global system.

Key words :
BRICS Plus Expansion, Contested Multilateralism, Global
Governance Reform, Emerging Middle Powers, Policy Coordination and Power
Asymmetries

Climate Finance Utilization in Africa and Asia: Economic Outcomes and Policy Effectiveness

Authors : Sakshi Vyas, Jacob Machaka, Lefu Elias Matsikitlane, Anuoluwapo Enitan Popoola

Abstract :

The use of climate finance has become one of the most significant means of combating climate change at the international level, but its conversion into tangible impacts has been extremely uneven in the Global South. The aim of this paper is to examine how the three largest emerging economies, South Africa, Nigeria, and India, implement climate finance and whether the national policy framework is effective in translating finance into tangible impacts. The fivelens approach used for the examination includes policy coherence, implementation, evidence of impact, economic impact, and structural obstacles. The question to be examined is whether the funds work. Based on the results from the analysis, it becomes evident that while all three countries have indeed taken real efforts to align themselves with global conventions like the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC, there are implementation gaps when it comes to ground realities. There have been positive developments on the part of South Africa and its REIPPPP and on the part of India and its NAPCC. However, both initiatives still face serious issues related to fragmented governance and lack of financing resources. Nigeria, even though its policy framework has become quite ambitious, suffers from poor institutional coordination, high administrative costs and persistent under-financing of adaptation activities. It is evident that the key determining factor here is not finance but quality of institutions and coherent implementation practices.

Keywords:
Climate Finance, Policy Coherence, Implementation Effectiveness, Emerging Economies, Global South, Institutional Governance, Energy Transition

IPRG PUBLICATION

AI Governance and Institutional Readiness in Public Sector Systems: A Comparative Study Between India and Nigeria

Citation :

Abstract :

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Related Publications

Gendered Human Capital Misallocation in India: Education, Labour Market Barriers, and Policy Failure

Gender Neutrality In Law , State & Society

Shaping of Perceptions & Misperceptions Among Masses During War Escalations : A Comparative Analysis of Information Dynamics, Media Influence, and Perception Management

The Implementation Gap in Youth Entrepreneurship Policy: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and India

BRICS Plus and Contested Multilateralism: Policy Coordination, Internal Tensions, and the Role of Emerging Middle Powers in Global Governance Reform

Climate Finance Utilization in Africa and Asia: Economic Outcomes and Policy Effectiveness