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A Book Review by Akshat Bhaskar
What is this book?
The Policy Pivot is a landmark edited volume capturing India's sweeping policy transformation โ across economy, society, and diplomacy โ as the nation races toward its centennial of independence in 2047.
Commissioned by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI) to mark its 18th anniversary, the book unites 25 essays from India's most respected voices across business, government, academia, and civil society.
It interrogates the end of "policy paralysis," the critique of Nehruvian economics, and the emergence of a more participatory, transparent governance ecosystem where public affairs has become central to democratic accountability.
Core themes
Examines India's break from post-war protectionism and the Nehruvian legacy, arguing for bold corrections as East Asian rivals surged ahead. Explores the mandate to end policy paralysis through decisive economic reversals.
Calls for reimagining social infrastructure โ education systems, women's economic participation, youth in policymaking, and philanthropy at population scale. Human capital is inseparable from strategic growth.
India's "calm yogic approach" โ a posture that reconciles competing great powers while preserving strategic autonomy through multi-alignment and issue-based coalitions like the Quad and I2U2.
The road ahead
1947 โ 1991
Decades of state-led socialism and import substitution kept India insular while East Asian economies leapfrogged. The book frames this as the original "policy paralysis" that the pivot must undo.
1991 โ 2013
Economic opening began but governance remained fragmented. Growth surged yet structural reforms stalled, leaving India far below its potential on manufacturing, infrastructure, and social indicators.
2014 โ Present
A decisive electoral mandate enabled bold policy reversals: GST, IBC, digital public infrastructure, PLI schemes, and a more assertive foreign policy rooted in strategic autonomy and multi-alignment.
2047
By India's centenary of independence, the vision is a fully developed, prosperous nation. The book maps the policy choices โ on economy, society, and diplomacy โ that will determine whether this goal is achieved.
Foreign policy
๐ง Calm Yogic Posture
India navigates great power rivalry through composure rather than alignment, maintaining equidistance and issue-based partnerships across competing blocs.
โ๏ธ Multi-Alignment
Rather than picking sides, India builds concurrent partnerships โ with the US through Quad, with Russia through SCO, with the Gulf through I2U2 โ to maximise leverage.
๐๏ธ Issue-Based Coalitions
On climate, tech, supply chains, and security, India assembles different coalitions per issue โ a flexible, non-ideological diplomacy preserving maximum freedom of action.
๐ Global South Leadership
India positions itself as the voice of the Global South โ leveraging its G20 presidency and development record to claim moral and strategic leadership in the emerging world order.
Inside the volume
Filter by theme. Hover any essay for a preview. Contributors span ministers, CEOs, diplomats, and civil society leaders.
"The Policy Pivot is not only a policy manual but also a thoughtful commentary on India's socio-economic trajectory."
โ Storizen Magazine Book Review