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RETHINKING EMPLOYABILITY: IS NEP 2020 RELEVANT FOR INDIA’S AIDRIVEN FUTURE?
Authors : Mannat Siwach , Siddhant Pandey , Priyanshi Jha , Mishka Singh , Tarandeep Kaur , Rajnish Katare
ABSTRACT
Artificial Intelligence, as a disruptive force, is bringing unprecedented changes in the skills and competencies required for a graduate to become employable in today’s day and age; however, India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has come forward as a framework for strengthening higher education through the inclusion of multidisciplinary learning, skill development, practical exposure, and increasing alignment with industry requirements. This paper examines whether these strategies remain sufficiently responsive to an evolving AIdriven labour market. The study employs a mixed-method approach, combining a review of existing literature with primary questionnaire-based research. On the survey responses of students and professionals, the study applies descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, percentages, and mean scores to assess perceptions of implementation, AI readiness, and emerging skill requirements. Further, it uses a thematic analysis to compare the emerging patterns with themes identified in the literature. The findings indicate that although NEP 2020 provides a relevant framework for developing multidisciplinary and future-oriented competencies, gaps remain between its intended provisions and students’ practical exposure to AI-related skills, industry requirements, and employability preparation, suggesting that the policy is conceptually relevant but insufficiently aligned with emerging AI-era requirements. The study recommends increased emphasis on effective policy implementation and a shift in the core framework towards AI literacy, upskilling and greater integration of digital and data capabilities within higher education.
Keywords
National Education Policy 2020, Employability, AI Literacy, Multidisciplinary Learning, Higher Education, Future-ready Skills
The Educated Unemployed: Evaluating the Effect of PMKVY on Employment Outcomes for India’s Educated Youth
Authors : Aditi Tiwari , Aditi Thakur , Upama Paul
Abstract
India’s unemployment sector showcases an unusual trend. Unemployment rises with education rather than falling. This study is being conducted to find whether the source of this issue lies in the demand side or the supply side of the sector. The supply side predicts that the issue lies with the lack of skills within the youth. Whereas the demand side of the issue states the problem lies in the volume of formal wage jobs present in the economy. We find through our research that available evidence is stronger in support of the demand side explanation of the problem. This evidence is presented through the administrative and audit reports of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas yojana, the periodic labour force data and the CAG’s 2025 report. The analysis relies on aggregate secondary data rather than individual level data, therefore these findings are presented as associations and not established causal effects. The study showcases how while upskilling is important, it is not enough to solve the problem of educated unemployment within the country.
Keywords:
Educated unemployment, Periodic Labour Force Survey, skill development, PMKVY, labour demand
DIGITAL GOVERNANCE AND THE REDISTRIBUTION OF ACCESS COSTS: SOCIOECONOMIC EXCLUSION IN INDIA AND KENYA
Authors : Akshita Bhatt , Ishika Agrawal , Ishita Tripathi , Ishita Khandelwal , Joel Kimanthi
Abstract
Digitalisation is often presented as a way to make public-service delivery more efficient, but greater administrative efficiency does not necessarily mean lower costs for citizens. This paper examines how digital public services can contribute to socioeconomic exclusion through the redistribution of access and transaction costs. Using secondary evidence from India and Kenya, the paper examines how digital requirements interact with unequal resources, accessibility conditions and available support. Across the evidence, barriers involving connectivity, literacy, documentation, authentication and service design can create additional costs for citizens in the form of time, expenditure, effort, repeated attempts and reliance on others. These burdens are uneven and can affect whether access is independent, assisted, burdened or results in exclusion. The evidence differs across the two countries, but in both settings digitalisation can change where the work and costs involved in accessing a service are located. Assessing digital governance therefore requires looking at citizen-side burdens alongside administrative efficiency.
Keywords:
digital governance; digital exclusion; transaction costs; administrative burden; accessibility; socioeconomic inequality
AI Governance and Institutional Readiness in Public Sector Systems: A Comparative Study Between India and Nigeria
Authors : Linda John Obiorah, Banavath Ananditha, Mrinalini Menon, Paridhi Passi, B. R. Sanjeev Naick
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.
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
Dynamics of Youth Unemployment: Case Studies on Public Policy Frameworks and the Gig Economy in India, South Africa and Nigeria A country-specific investigation into institutional frameworks and critical research gaps surrounding the digital gig economy.
Authors : Ritu Sundrani, Sneha Shukla, Aviya Chauhan, Karabo Ralethohlane
Abstract :
The country-specific investigation dives into the structural challenges of youth unemployment across India, South Africa and Nigeria. It undertakes critical analysis of policies like PMKVY, PYEI and N-Power of respective nations to highlight the implementation gaps, structural mismatches and post- program “transitional cliff”. Further, the gig economy despite offering alternate livelihood opportunities creates a regulatory safety vacuum which requires structural policy actions. The study emphasizes on reorientation of policy architecture towards demanddriven ecosystem, private sector participation and digitally inclusive policies to tackle youth unemployment problem in the Global South.
KEYWORDS :
Youth unemployment, Active Labour Market Programs (ALMPs), structural mismatches, Global South, Skill development
CHOKEPOINTS CUT BOTH WAYS: U.S. Advanced Semiconductor Controls and China’s Critical-Mineral and RareEarth Controls, October 2022–June 2026
Authors : Mpilontle Mbambo , Dhanvi Sharma , Vanshika Lodhi , Sampurna Bhowmik
Abstract
Export controls are increasingly central to U.S.-China economic competition. This article compares U.S. restrictions on advanced semiconductors and semiconductor-manufacturing capabilities with China’s controls on selected critical minerals, rare-earth elements, magnets, and related technologies between October 2022 and June 2026. It distinguishes three forms of strategic leverage: denial, bargaining, and informational leverage. Drawing on weaponisedinterdependence theory, the analysis examines regulatory design, implementation, disruption, and adaptation. The comparison suggests that U.S. controls can slow frontier capability accumulation but depend heavily on allied coordination, while Chinese controls can generate faster supply disruption but also stronger incentives for diversification. In both cases, leverage is conditional on administrative capacity, coalition cohesion, substitutability, and the speed of network escape.
Keywords:
weaponised interdependence; semiconductors; critical minerals; rare earths; export controls; geoeconomics; United States-China rivalry; supply-chain security; economic statecraft
The New Cold War in the IndoPacific: US-China Rivalry & the Race of Global Influence
Authors : Shruti Agarwal, Harshika Pandla, Mokshadaa Gupta, Revanth Netha, Vanshika Kakkar
Abstract :
This paper explores how maritime rivalry, coalition-building, and regional governance in the Indo-Pacific region are being reshaped due to ongoing competition between the United States and China. Instead of framing this as a simple replay of Cold War bloc politics, the study treats the region as an arena where states adjust their positions through overlapping alliances, minilateral arrangements, and strategic narratives rather than direct military confrontation. Empirically, the analysis follows three main strands: the indirect influence of the RussiaUkraine war on the region’s maritime strategy, the shift in India-China rivalry from land borders to sea lanes, and the formation of AUKUS and the Quad as key coalitions in regional security politics. Drawing on policy reports and academic studies, the paper uses interpretative discourse analysis to read how governments and experts deploy ideas of stability, rules and order to justify changing maritime postures and new forms of strategic cooperation.
Key Words :
Maritime Cooperation, Hegemony, Balance of power, Strategic Cooperation, QUAD, AUKUS, Freedom of Navigation (FON)
The Impact of Geopolitical Conflicts on the Global Economy:A Comparative Analysis of the Russia-Ukraine and Iran-Israel Conflicts
Authors : Umrah Fatima, Manya Saraf
Abstract :
This research paper seeks to examine the serious economic implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Iran conflict in comparison, concentrating particularly on their disruptive consequences for global economic activities. However, while most of the extant literature studies the above mentioned geopolitical situations separately, the current paper attempts to bridge a major research gap by comparing them in one single frame of reference. Using the qualitative approach based on the thematic analysis of secondary data
from international sources, the paper reveals that regional tensions result in extensive economic instability in our highly interconnected world. Notable observations suggest that both the disputes have caused serious fluctuations in energy prices, congestion of the seas atnkey strategic chokepoints, and inflationary pressure across the globe. Moreover, it is important to note that the analysis highlights the significant vulnerability of the Global South, where dependency on food, fuel, and raw materials from other countries has made their
currencies devalue and made them vulnerable to food shortages and debt repayment burdens.
Keywords:
Geopolitical Conflicts, Global Economy, Russia-Ukraine War, Israel-Iran Conflict, Energy Market, Supply Chain Disruptions, Inflationary Pressures, International Trade Global South, Interdependence.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Debt Diplomacy or Development Financing? A Comparative Case Study of Sri Lanka and Pakistan
Authors : Aaditya Dewansh, Huny Thakkar, Edward Mbeleki, Mansha Arya, Zinte Kula
Abstract :
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by China in 2013, has generated sustained debate over whether it functions as a deliberate instrument of debt diplomacy aimed at strategic asset acquisition, or as a development financing mechanism responding to genuine infrastructure deficits in recipient countries. This paper addresses that question through a comparative case study of Sri Lanka and Pakistan: two BRI-engaged South Asian states that share the same creditor yet exhibit structurally distinct outcomes. Drawing on a three-tier qualitative methodology combining comparative case analysis, historical examination of high-value BRI projects, and content analysis of “debt-trap diplomacy” discourse, we argue that strategic dependency in both cases emerges not from engineered default, but through two distinct pathways: fiscal vulnerability in Sri Lanka and infrastructural entrenchment in Pakistan. In Sri Lanka, domestic governance failures and aggressive external commercial borrowing produced the conditions for the 2017 Hambantota Port concession, driven by a new government’s fiscal desperation rather than predatory Chinese design. In
Pakistan, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) generated long-term institutional lock-in through the sheer scale of energy infrastructure investment and an asymmetric bureaucratic coordination model. Across both cases, local political elites exercised agency in seeking Chinese capital to bypass Western conditionalities, and dependency emerged as a by-product of borrower governance failures and project scale rather than Chinese strategic calculation. These findings challenge the binary of debt diplomacy versus development financing, offering instead a mechanism-based account of how BRI engagement produces different forms of strategic influence in different political-economic contexts.
Keywords:
Belt and Road Initiative, debt diplomacy, strategic dependency, fiscal
vulnerability, infrastructure entrenchment
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.
Trending but Not Transforming: Generation Z’s Social Media Activism and Its Diplomatic Impact in International Relations
Authors : Gayatri Gaikwad , Mehak Bhutani , Amina Dossa, Shalini Sarkar, Zainab Amjad
Abstract :
Generation Z the cohort born between approximately 1997 and 2012 has emerged as the most digitally mobilised generation in political history, leveraging platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X and Discord to organise transnational advocacy and challenge entrenched governance structures. Yet a critical paradox persists ,the generation that trends globally rarely transforms diplomatically. This paper examines the relationship between Generation Z’s social media activism and its tangible impact on international relations, arguing that while digital activism has democratised political expression and produced measurable domestic disruptions, its structural conversion into lasting diplomatic outcomes remains limited and uneven. Drawing on comparative case studies alongside empirical evidence from quantitative platform studies and theoretical frameworks of soft power, generational theory, and networked social movements, this paper identifies the conditions under which digital youth activism does and does not translate into diplomatic recalibration. It further interrogates platform architecture, disinformation dynamics, and the mobilisation-distraction paradox as structural constraints on Gen Z’s diplomatic agency. The findings suggest that while Generation Z constitutes a genuinely novel geopolitical force, the efficacy of their digital activism in reshaping international relations depends critically on context, institutional responsiveness, and the capacity to bridge online momentum with sustained offline institutional engagement.
Keywords –
Gen z, Diplomacy , Social Media ,Digitalisation
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
ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ACROSS CENTRAL AFRICA
Authors : Adeleye Joshua Adeyemi, Nontobeko Zakhona Andiswa Ngubane, Mushe Khomola
Abstract :
Climate change remains to cripple food security across Central Africa, where a large proportion of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture survival. This study evaluated the environmental, economic, energy and agricultural factors shaping climate resilience and food security in vulnerable communities, using secondary time-series data spanning 2000 to 2025 across 14 variables, including 2 climate resilience variables (mean annual temperature and annual rainfall). Descriptive statistics, pre- and post-2013 period comparisons, Pearson correlation analysis, detrended correlation and multiple regression analysis were applied using SPSS. Findings show that undernourishment averaged 30% over the period, with persistently low cereal yields and minimal electricity access. Rising mean annual temperature (r = -0.610, p = 0.002) was significantly correlated with declining cereal yields (r = -0.880, p < 0.001). In the multiple regression model (R² = 0.907), electricity access and GDP per capita are the two strongest independent predictors of undernourishment, while political stability remained a significant bivariate correlate. These results suggest that energy infrastructure and governance, above agricultural land use or GDP, are central to food security outcomes defining how resilience-building efforts should be concentrated.
Keywords:
Climate resilience, Food security, Agricultural productivity, Governance, Policy, Central Africa.
The Role of Climate Finance in Early Warning Systems for Rural and Coastal Populations: A Comparative Analysis of India, Rwanda, and Trinidad and Tobago
Authors : Ruel Fordyce, Shivangi Gedam, Ashutosh Sarkar
Abstract :
Climate change has intensified the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, disproportionately affecting rural and coastal populations in developing countries. Early Warning Systems (EWS) have emerged as critical tools for reducing disaster risks; however, their effectiveness is closely tied to the availability and allocation of climate finance. This paper examines the role of climate finance in strengthening EWS, with a primary focus on India and comparative insights from Trinidad and Tobago and Rwanda. Using a qualitative research approach based on secondary data, the study explores how financial mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund and Systematic Observations Financing Facility support EWS development. Findings indicate that while India has made significant progress in integrating EWS into national disaster management frameworks, gaps remain in financing distribution, local capacity, and last-mile communication. Rwanda demonstrates effective utilization of targeted climate finance for infrastructure upgrades, while Trinidad and Tobago highlights challenges which are typical of Small Island Developing States, including funding gaps and institutional fragmentation. The study concludes that sustained, equitable, and locally targeted climate finance is essential for enhancing resilience and protecting vulnerable populations.
Keywords
Climate finance; Early warning systems; India; Rwanda; Trinidad and Tobago; Rural
vulnerability; Coastal resilience; Disaster risk reduction
The Role Of Climate Forecasts In Shaping Adaptation Behaviour: Evidence From A Cross-Country Survey
Authors : Fareed Ahmad, Mwita Chacha, Obodo Lotachi
Abstract
Climate change presents considerable global threats, particularly in regions that are dependent on climate-sensitive livelihoods. While advances in climate forecasting have improved the availability and accuracy of climate information, a persistent gap remains between information access and actual adaptive behaviour. This study investigates the
behavioural mechanisms that translate climate forecasts into adaptive action using a cross-country survey of 309 respondents across six countries: India, Kenya, Egypt,
Indonesia, Nigeria and Japan. Using quantitative method including descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation and multiple linear regression, this study examined the roles of Access to Climate Forecast Information (ACF), Trust in Climate Information (TCI) and Climate Risk Perception (CRP) in shaping Climate Adaptation Behaviour (CAB).
Descriptive analysis revealed a pronounced perception-action gap: climate risk
perception was high (mean = 4.09) while adaptation behaviour remained moderate
(mean = 3.53). Regression analysis demonstrated that trust in climate information (β =0.299, p < 0.001) and access to forecasts (β = 0.179, p = 0.003) were significant predictors of adaptive behaviour, whereas risk perception alone was not statistically significant (p = 0.275). These findings carry important implications for designing climate services and evidence-based policy interventions.
Keywords:
Climate Adaptation Behaviour; Climate Forecasts; Trust in Information; Risk
Perception; Cross-Country Analysis; Climate Policy
De-platforming and Free Speech: Regulating Private Content Moderation Under Constitutional Law
Authors : Katelyn Elisabeth Waller
Abstract
As digital communication platforms have supplanted traditional public forums, private technology corporations exercise unprecedented governance over global speech. This paper examines the point at which constitutional principles should logically constrain private platforms, asking how constitutional democracies can regulate private content moderation without undermining either free speech or private autonomy. Drawing on comparative regulatory analysis, constitutional doctrine, and institutional case studies, this paper synthesizes perspectives from the United States, the European Union, India, and Ghana to examine three interlocking dimensions of the problem. This includes the design of regulatory frameworks that balance state intervention against platform independence, the doctrinal question of whether constitutional free-speech norms can or should apply horizontally to private, non-state actors, and the practical mechanisms (notice, appeal, and reasoned decision-making) through which transparency and accountability can be operationalised inside private platform governance. This paper argues that no single jurisdiction has produced a regime that is both speech-protective and respectful of platform autonomy, and that meaningful accountability requires state intervention to constrain process rather than dictate outcome. This is supported by institutional separation between content-flagging bodies and the government whose conduct is in question.
Keywords:
Content moderation, private platforms, free-speech, accountability, unprecedented governance
Constitutionalising Emergency Powers in India: Evaluating the restraints on the use of Emergency Powers In line with safeguards against their misuse
Authors : Srijan Kumar Sharma, Mehak Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kartik Sharma, Alisha Gupta
Abstract :
This paper provides a comprehensive constitutional analysis of India’s emergency powers framework, examining the historical foundations, structural architecture, and postindependence jurisprudential evolution of Articles 352, 356, 358, and 359 of the Constitution of India. Tracing the philosophical underpinnings of emergency governance from Carl Schmitt’s theory of sovereign exception and John Locke’s executive prerogative to Giorgio Agamben’s doctrine of necessity, the paper situates India’s emergency provisions within a global constitutional discourse on the tension between state authority and individual liberty. Drawing on the Constituent Assembly debates, it reconstructs the framers’ deliberate choices and their cautionary awareness of precedents such as the Weimar Constitution’s catastrophic Article 48. The paper critically examines the systematic misuse of Article 356 between 1959 and 1994, culminating in an analysis of S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994), which constitutionalised the floor test doctrine, established federalism as a basic structure element, and subjected presidential proclamations to meaningful judicial review. It further analyses the critical distinction between Articles 358 and 359, with particular attention to the conceptual and practical consequences of suspending rights as opposed to remedies; a distinction rendered judicially decisive in ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla (1976) and subsequently rehabilitated through Justice H.R. Khanna’s celebrated dissent. The paper evaluates the Constitution (FortyFourth Amendment) Act, 1978, as a response to the excesses of the 1975 Emergency, including the absolute unsuspendability of Articles 20 and 21, the substitution of ‘armed rebellion’ for ‘internal disturbance,’ and the procedural safeguards on emergency proclamation. The postamendment jurisprudential trajectory is traced through Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978), Minerva Mills Ltd. v. Union of India (1980), and Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2017), which formally overruled ADM Jabalpur and dramatically expanded the substantive constitutional floor available to citizens during emergency conditions. Through comparative analysis of the German Basic Law, South Africa’s Section 37, and the American experience, the paper identifies structural vulnerabilities that persist in the Indian framework, including the absence of granular proportionality review of emergency measures, the susceptibility of Article 19 rights to suppression, and the contingent nature of judicial independence as an institutional safeguard. The paper concludes that while India’s constitutional architecture has made genuine and significant progress, structural consolidation; through codified sunset clauses, mandatory measure-specific parliamentary accountability, and constitutionally mandated judicial timelines, remains the unfinished work of emergency law reform.
Keywords:
Emergency Powers; Fundamental Rights; Articles 358 and 359; ADM Jabalpur;S.R. Bommai Case; Forty-Fourth Amendment; Basic Structure Doctrine; Judicial Review
GOVERNANCE DEFICITS AND IRREGULAR MIGRATION PATHWAYS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDIA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA WITH EMPHASIS ON YOUTH VULNERABILITY AND POLICY RESPONSES
Authors : Mpude Blanche Diale Nzalle, Ezekiel Kaba, Monique van Eeden
Abstract :
Irregular migration is a major humanitarian challenge in twenty-first-century Sub-Saharan Africa and India and a persistent global issue. In India, it often occurs through informal agents, driven by high recruitment costs, visa restrictions, and weak governance in states such as Punjab, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. This study aims to examine how governance deficits shape irregular migration in both regions, with a focus on youth vulnerability and policy responses. Using a comparative qualitative/mixed-methods design, it draws on IOM and World Bank reports, national migration documents, and case studies of major routes, with comparative policy review and descriptive statistics. The research indicated that inadequate governance intensifies irregular migration, which in turn hinders economic prospects for youth. The analysis demonstrates that although India has established formal migration frameworks, such as the Ministry of External Affairs and the Protectorate of Emigrants, their effectiveness remains consistently restricted. Findings indicate that governance deficits and high youth unemployment are structural drivers of irregular migration, operating independently of economic factors. Governance failure is identified as a primary cause of irregular migration among youth. The study recommends strengthening migration governance, mechanizing agriculture, providing sustainable youth business financing, and expanding access to education and vocational training. These measures would increase meaningful employment and reduce incentives for dangerous, illegal journeys.
Keywords:
Irregular Migration, Governance, Youth Vulnerability