Indian society, its history, politics, and development trajectory are interwoven with axes of power, dissent (and negotiation), as well as social inequality by caste, class, gender, sexuality, religion and race. This topic area will advance understanding of the nexus among these themes through interdisciplinary scholarship across the humanities and social sciences, ranging from normative research, data gathering and analysis as well as implementation/engagement with practitioners. Example projects may include study of gender and politics; gender, health and development; analysis of regional and caste-based inequality and affirmative action; depictions of dissent via film, arts, news media, storytelling, etc.

India is currently the most populous country in the world (home to ~20% of the global population) and the world’s fifth largest economy. India is expected to grow and rapidly urbanize while grappling with substantial natural resource constraints (land, water, biodiversity), pollution, social inequality and associated human health effects. At the same time, India’s national and local governments are developing technologies and policies to couple India’s economic development trajectory with inclusive access as well as renewable energy, zero carbon, zero air pollution and climate resilience goals. How India solves these intersecting sustainability challenges will impact India as well as global sustainability and has potential for translation for other emerging economies. This focus area studies sustainability transitions that can deliver “well-being for all within planetary boundaries”, in India and the world, through cross-national comparative learning. We envision interdisciplinary research across natural science and engineering, social science and the humanities, and engaged scholarship/knowledge coproduction with policymakers and practitioners.

Recent advances in AI and digital public infrastructure in India are transforming home, work and society at large with innovations in India being considered for translation inother countries. For example, more than 66% of India's population now having access to smartphones (as of 2023), and with India being home to more than 22 separate official languages, research in India on natural language processing has potential to benefit other low resource languages world-wide. Recent years have witnessed growing interest in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with new models for the global digital ecosystem being pioneered by India, Brazil, and parts of Africa, and growing interest in the EU and USA. Can DPI spur innovation and private enterprise? Can it do so in a manner that is inclusive and congruent with the public good? This interdisciplinary research theme will explore how society will innovate and govern AI and digital public infrastructure to advance social good, while being mindful of its pitfalls, drawing upon the learnings from India. We anticipate projects will draw upon research and practical implementation experiences in India.