Taking Ideas and Discourses Seriously: A Discursive Institutionalist Perspective on Social Protection Policy in India
This paper argues that institutional stability and change in social protection policy in India are best explained through the explanatory power of ideas and the interactive processes of discourse. However, traditional institutionalist theories, whether rational choice, sociological, or historical, tend to underplay the role of ideas and discourse as drivers of institutional stability and change.
Are the determinants of financial inclusion always manipulable and rankable? A novel framework for examining financial inclusion interventions
In this blog, the author has attempted to summarise the vast literature on the determinants of financial inclusion using a framework developed by Moscona et al (2026).
Examining ‘Gender Gap’ in Financial Inclusion in India using the Global Findex Database 2025
This blog critically examines the concept of the “gender gap” in financial inclusion by distinguishing between unconditional differences and those that persist after controlling for socio-economic factors, using evidence from the Global Findex 2025 dataset
Understanding Low-Income Households from a Social Capital Perspective
The objective of this paper is to draw attention to those aspects of the lives of Low-Income Households (LIHs) that aren’t related to their income. In doing so, the paper characterises LIHs from a social capital perspective, highlighting the maintenance and strengthening of social capital as a deep-rooted cultural trait that is central to meaning-making in the lives of LIHs.
Can Leveraging Social Capital Enhance Consumers’ Experience with Health Insurance?
When viewed from a consumer’s perspective, these challenges manifest at different stages of their journey with a health insurance program, beginning from the decision to enrol in a program and ending at the renewal stage. While tweaks to the design of the health insurance program or moving to a more integrated model of healthcare provision may help in this blog post, we explore the role that social capital can play in circumventing some of these challenges.
A new paradigm for social finance
The Covid-19 crisis has, among other things, brought into focus the importance of non-profits and impact-focussed, for-profit, enterprises.
Unlocking new capital for the social sector
Innovative and blended finance structures, such as Social Venture Funds, offer a unique opportunity for nonprofits to secure new funding.
