Editorial : Profile
Yamini Aiyar is currently Senior Visiting Fellow, Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia and Watson Institute, Brown University. She was the President and Chief Executive of the Centre for Policy Research, a leading multidisciplinary think tank in New Delhi during 2017-2024. Yamini's work sits at the intersection of research and policy practice. During her tenure she spearheaded the establishment of two important new research initiatives within CPR on State capacity and Politics. Prior to becoming President she set up the Accountability Initiative at CPR known for its work on governance, social accountability and expenditure tracking in social Policy. Yamini's research interests span the fields of contemporary politics, state capacity, welfare policy, federalism and India's political economy. Yamini sits on a number of boards and advisory committees of research centers and non-profits. Her recent policy commitments include: Advisory Committee, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University; Member, United Nations Committee of the Experts on Public Administration; Council Member, United Nations University, Member; Chief Minister’s Rajasthan Economic Transformation Advisory Council (2022-2023); Member, Expert Group to Recommend Medium-Long Term Post Covid Strategy for Punjab, Government of Punjab (2021-22); General Body Member, Delhi Board of School Education, Government of Delhi; Advisory Board, Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
Posts by Yamini Aiyar
Enhancing the State's implementation capacity: Lessons from Delhi schools
In a new edition of I4I conversations, Yamini Aiyar is joined by Shrayana Bhattacharya to discuss her new book, Lessons in State Capacity from Delhi Schools.
-
Yamini Aiyar
Shrayana Bhattacharya
25 September, 2025
Enhancing the State's implementation capacity: Lessons from Delhi schools
In a new edition of I4I conversations, Yamini Aiyar is joined by Shrayana Bhattacharya to discuss her new book, Lessons in State Capacity from Delhi Schools.
-
Yamini Aiyar
Shrayana Bhattacharya
24 September, 2025
I4I@10 | Emerging from Covid-19: Challenges and solutions
As India emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, economists will have to rethink how they understand the Indian economy in context of global volatilities. In this panel, moderated by Amartya Lahiri, Viral...
-
Viral Acharya
Yamini Aiyar
Amartya Lahiri
Pronab Sen
I4I Team
10 February, 2023
Budget and politics in pandemic times
Applying a political economy lens to the recently announced Budget 2022-23, Yamini Aiyar contends that the emphasis on capital expenditure over welfare in the two Budgets announced during the pandemic...
-
Yamini Aiyar
16 February, 2022
Budget 2021-22: A political economy perspective
Examining the 2021-22 Union Budget with a political economy lens, Yamini Aiyar contends that the policy choices reflects Government of India’s propensity to centralise rather than to devolve, and a ...
-
Yamini Aiyar
15 February, 2021
DUET: Flexible implementation is key
Commenting on Drèze’s DUET proposal for an urban work programme, Yamini Aiyar contends that it is a welcome opportunity to reclaim the importance of robust social protection for urban India, while ...
-
Yamini Aiyar
07 October, 2020
CPR-I4I webinar video: A new economic imagination?
Centre for Policy Research and Ideas for India jointly held a webinar on 16 September 2020, to discuss domestic demand specifically in rural India. It built on a recent I4I post by three of the speake...
-
Yamini Aiyar
Maitreesh Ghatak
Ashok Kotwal
Mekhala Krishnamurthy
Bharat Ramaswami
30 September, 2020
India's Union Budget 2017-18: Status quo for the social sector
On 1 February, The Finance Minister of India presented the Union Budget 2017-18. In this article, Yamini Aiyar, Director of Accountability Initiative, contends that for social policy, the Budget sugg...
-
Yamini Aiyar
03 February, 2017
Building an outcome-focused approach to elementary education financing in India
Government expenditure on elementary education in India is designed to promote a system that is accountable for schooling rather than learning. In this article, Yamini Aiyar, Director of the Accounta...
-
Yamini Aiyar
23 November, 2015
Education reform and frontline administrators: A case study from Bihar - II
The frontline administration in India is infamous for corruption and patronage, indifference towards citizens, low effort and high absenteeism. This column reports findings from a year-long qualitati...
-
Yamini Aiyar
Vincy Davis
Ambrish Dongre
16 October, 2015
Education reform and frontline administrators: A case study from Bihar - I
The frontline administration in India is infamous for corruption and patronage, indifference towards citizens, low effort and high absenteeism. This column reports findings from a year-long qualitati...
-
Yamini Aiyar
Vincy Davis
Ambrish Dongre
15 October, 2015
Outlays to Outcomes: Understanding pathways to improving learning outcome
This project responds to a specific Government of Bihar request to assess the effectiveness of its "Mission Gunvatta" programme, which aimed at improving the learning outcomes of children attending el...
-
Yamini Aiyar
Ambrish Dongre
17 September, 2015




