The Policy Square (TPS) is a community for students and young professionals to connect with like-minded individuals, decision-makers, experts, thought leaders, and other key stakeholders in the field of public policy. TPS creates learning, mentoring, and networking opportunities to help its members build successful public policy careers. We believe that a community of committed, principled and effective public policy professionals can inform better policies and serve as the bedrock for India’s progress. Curating the TPS community is a step towards that.
See: Offerings | IRL Schedule | Thematic Focus | Membership & Fees | FAQs | Apply to be a Member
What does TPS offer?
While some elements of TPS will only be available to subscribers, we plan to curate resources for the wider TPS community as well. Our community members will also be the first to hear about any new initiative under the TPS umbrella and we will be happy to give subscribers preferred access.
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Core Offerings: For subscribers
The Policy Square IRL
An opportunity for members to interact through offline sessions in three cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru). The goal is to help facilitate community building and knowledge sharing among public policy professionals at different stages of their career by curating networking events, conversations with experts and panel discussions. These sessions will also act as a knowledge-sharing platform for students and recent graduates who are looking to gain an insight into careers in public policy, and build a community of professionals who can provide mentorship and guidance.
The Policy Square Chat
A closed Telegram community dedicated to bringing all our members on a common online forum. Such a forum will help members stay connected with the YLAC team while also allowing sharing of community updates.
The Policy Square Online
A series of periodic online webinars/ discussions with experts across focus areas to facilitate learning and deliberation on a wide range of themes in public policy and development. |
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Additional Perks: For everyone
The Policy Square Post
A weekly newsletter including a fresh list of jobs, internships, courses, events etc. from the broader policy space in India. We’ll also share our favourite essays, videos and podcast recommendations from the week gone by! Subscribe here.
The Policy Square Listings
A LinkedIn page dedicated to real-time updates on the most exciting jobs and internship opportunities in public policy in India. Access it here. |
The Policy Square IRL Schedule
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The Policy Square IRL includes curated sessions on specific themes. For these sessions, we’ll invite leading experts to share an overview of the policy landscape related to the theme, the skills required to succeed, key stakeholders in the space as well as promising opportunities to explore. Each session will be followed by an opportunity to mingle and learn from others at the event. The thematic focus areas for the sessions are outlined below. We are planning to hold sessions on the second Saturday of every month starting May 2023 from 4-6 PM in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, with up to 4-5 sessions in each city during the year. As a member of The Policy Square, you can attend any number of sessions in any of the three cities. The agenda and the list of speakers will be circulated 3 weeks before the event and sign-ups will be on a first-come-first-served basis. |
See: Offerings | IRL Schedule | Thematic Focus | Membership & Fees | FAQs | Apply to be a Member
Thematic Focus (Tentative)
Gender |
Tech Policy |
Social Impact Consulting |
Higher Education in Public Policy – Schools in India and abroad |
Climate/ Sustainability and Urban Transformation |
Health and Education |
Membership & Fees
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The annual membership fee is INR 2,500/- (excluding GST @18%) per participant.
The Policy Square is open to all professionals and students older than 20 years of age with up to 6 years of relevant work experience. If you are more experienced but believe that TPS is aligned with your interests and is likely to benefit your career, please feel free to apply. The eligibility criteria prescribed here is only indicative.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Public policy is a dynamic and upcoming field that attracts individuals from diverse backgrounds and interests. Much of the understanding of the field and its thematic nuances remains with professionals within the space and there are limited opportunities to connect and collaborate. Unlike more mature industries, the public policy space is still very nascent and structural platforms for engagement are yet to evolve. There are also barriers to accessing career advancement opportunities and staying informed about the latest developments in the field. This is precisely the gap that The Policy Square aims to bridge by providing more exposure and professional development opportunities to young professionals interested in the field.
The Policy Square is open to all professionals and students older than 20 years of age with up to 6 years of relevant work experience. If you are more experienced but believe that TPS is aligned with your interests and is likely to benefit your career, please feel free to apply. The eligibility criteria prescribed here is only indicative.
People from all backgrounds are welcome, including those working in think tanks, policy and social impact fellowships, in-house policy teams of companies, political parties or NGOs, young professionals from other sectors who are looking to switch careers, undergraduate students and masters students enrolled in public policy/ development studies or allied courses (law, sociology, political science, economics, etc.).
We are looking to build an enthusiastic community of people who are engaged with the latest developments, and are inspired to connect and collaborate. If that sounds like you, apply below!
We want our members to make the most of the opportunities that come with The Policy Square. Therefore, we will review the profile of applicants to ensure members are a good fit for the community. Our aim is to bring together a vibrant group of people from diverse backgrounds.
At the moment, the IRL sessions are planned in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai only. If you are a member, you can attend workshops in any of the three cities. We do not require you to be a resident of these cities, as long as you can travel to any of the sessions.
This is a one-year membership, starting from the date of enrollment.
Unfortunately, we do not offer a refund policy at this time.
No, the membership is not transferable.
All members are expected to adhere to the overarching community guidelines for The Policy Square. We expect all TPS members to be courteous, respectful and inclusive in their conduct and behaviour towards other members to ensure that all members feel welcome and valued.
Read the guidelines here.
We believe that building a community is all about getting to know each other. However, we also recognize that members may not always be comfortable sharing their personal information. Therefore, we encourage members to share information only with members they have personally connected with at the IRL/ online sessions.
See: Offerings | IRL Schedule | Thematic Focus | Membership & Fees | FAQs | Apply to be a Member
Apply to be a Member
To become a member, please submit your details through the form below. We’ll process submissions on a rolling basis. Typically, candidates will be informed of the decision within 2-3 weeks of their candidature being filed. Membership fee will be payable once an application has been accepted.
