The Policy Square (TPS) is a pan-India community for university 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 support its members in building meaningful 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 Policy Square is a step towards that.

TPS is a joint initiative of Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and Public Policy India (PPI).

What does TPS offer?

The Policy Square is among the largest and most dynamic community of Public Policy professionals in India. To build on our mission of reducing information asymmetry, lowering barriers to entry and supporting the next generation of young Indians in building meaningful careers in the field of public policy, we curate a variety of opportunities under the TPS banner to enable knowledge exchange and structured mentorship. Formats like panel discussions, meetups, networking mixers, group discussions, workshops, expert masterclasses etc. are organized on a regular basis throughout the year.

Open Access Offerings: For anyone interested in public policy

While some elements of TPS are only available to paid subscribers, we curate resources for the wider community as well. If you are someone who is looking to test waters and explore if TPS may be valuable to you, please sign up for either of our open access offerings listed below.

The Policy Square Post

A weekly newsletter that curates a fresh list of jobs, internships, courses, essays, podcasts, events etc. from the broader policy and governance space in India. The Policy Square Post is meant to serve as a one-stop hub for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with updates and career opportunities in India. Subscribe here for free!

The Policy Square Listings

A LinkedIn page dedicated to real-time updates on the most exciting jobs and internship opportunities in the public policy space in India. Access it here.

As part of the Policy Square Listings, we also curate a series of periodic online discussions and webinars with experts to facilitate learning and deliberation on a wide range of themes in the broader public policy and development space in India. Periodic book-club format conversations with authors, focused on recent literary releases are also organized.

The Policy Square Open Events

An opportunity for public policy enthusiasts to convene, interact and meet through offline sessions across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The Policy Square Open Events are usually organized in partnership with policy schools and other organizations in the public policy space in India. These are open to the general public to sign up and attend. For these sessions, we typically invite leading experts to share their experience, present an overview of the policy landscape in India and talk about the skills required to succeed. Each session is followed with an opportunity to mingle and learn from others at the event.

In case of events that are over-subscribed, preference for attendance is given to paid TPS subscribers, with the remaining seats being allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Premium Offerings: For paid subscribers only

While we continue to curate a variety of opportunities for the broader public, there are some premium offerings available to paid TPS subscribers only, on exclusive and/or preferred terms of access.

The Policy Square Chat

An exclusive WhatsApp community dedicated to bringing all our paid subscribers on a common online forum, to help them stay connected with The Policy Square team while also facilitating exchange of information, sharing community updates, and other opportunities. We envisage The Policy Square Chat as an exclusive network that can help support and facilitate your public policy journey.

The Policy Square Masterclass

Periodic, focused, subscriber-only conversations with sectoral experts across a range of subjects aimed at facilitating networking, mentorship and up-skilling for attendees.

The Policy Square Mixers

Small group thematically planned networking events and mixers organized in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to help members connect with each other, meet potential mentors and explore collaborations.

The Policy Square Priority Access

Guaranteed priority access for the subscriber community to all events organized under The Policy Square banner, alongside direct access to the TPS team on queries and requests related to careers, partnerships etc.

The Policy Square Event Schedule

The Policy Square includes curated sessions on specific themes. While some sessions are open to the general public, others are curated exclusively for TPS subscribers. At these sessions, we invite leading experts to share an overview of the policy landscape related to a theme, the skills required to succeed, key stakeholders in the space as well as promising opportunities to explore. Each session is followed by an opportunity to mingle and learn from others.

The thematic focus areas for the sessions are outlined below. We typically hold sessions on the second Saturday of every month 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 is circulated 2-3 weeks before the event and sign ups are based on priority access for TPS members, followed by first-come-first-serve basis for others.

Thematic Focus

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

The annual membership fee for The Policy Square is INR 2,500/ + GST as applicable.

The Policy Square is open to all professionals and students older than 18 years of age with up to 8 years of full-time 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 sign up. The eligibility criteria prescribed here is only indicative.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why should I consider joining The Policy Square?

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.

2. Am I eligible?

The Policy Square is open to all professionals and students older than 18 years of age with up to 8 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, sign up below!

3. Do I have to live in Delhi, Bengaluru or Mumbai to apply?

At the moment, the in-person sessions, events and mixers are planned for Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai only. If you are a member, you can attend the sessions and gatherings in any of the three cities. We do not require you to be a resident of these cities, as long as you can travel.

4. What is the duration of the membership?

This is a one-year membership, starting from the date of enrollment.

5. Do you have a refund policy?

Unfortunately, we do not offer a refund policy at this time.

6. Is the membership transferable?

No, the membership is not transferable.

7. Are there any “dos and don'ts” of membership?

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.

8. How can I reach out to other members of the network?

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 in-person/ online sessions.

Sign up to be a Member

The membership drive for TPS for this year is already over; we are currently not accepting any new memberships to TPS.

Some TPS events are open to the general public though. You can follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) for updates. If you have any specific questions or requests, please feel to write to us as at office[at]theylacproject.com