Participatory Democracy Fellowship – Mount Carmel College

B.PAC’s B.ENGAGED program in association with Mount Carmel College has started a Participatory Democracy Fellowship programme. Generally, a public policy curriculum taught at academic institutions are of two kinds; on one hand, it trains the students in a range of quantitative methods so as to make good policy analysts out of them and on the other hand, there are curriculums which attempt to provide a multidisciplinary view with a focus on implementation in order to create change makers. The latter of these curricula have only achieved varying degrees of success as it requires collaborative partnerships, a shift from traditional teaching methods, contextualising issues and a willingness to listen to a wide array of voices.

The fellowship conceptualized by B.PAC is designed to create a strong set of practices and standards for the students of Masters in Public Policy at Mount Carmel College. It is expected to set the foundation for them to build a  strong analytical skill set and also nurture and create instinctual and reactive changemakers.

Aims and Objectives 

The students will be working closely with people’s representatives at the ward level for their first practical assignment in an effort to expose them to the field and the problem as closely as possible, ultimately providing them with a holistic hands-on experience.

The main objectives of the fellowship are as follows:-

1. To be able to understand the social, economic and political context of a policy or governmental action
2. Understand and develop a critical appreciation for the process of problem-solving on ground
3. To develop an understanding of the major stakeholders associated with the policy issue and their preferences
4. To bring back rich stories and experiences to their classroom discussions in order to further develop their thinking on governance and policy
5. To make use of their skill sets in aiding and supporting the work of the people’s representative in the area
6. To develop attitudes of empathy, perseverance and adaptability.

Field Visit – BBMP Council Visit