Akshay Mangla, Mittal Institute Research Associate and Associate Professor in International Business at the University of Oxford, recently authored the new publication, “Social conflict on the front lines of reform: Institutional activism and girls’ education in rural India,” in Public Administration and Development. The study analyzes how institutional activists (frontline workers) within the Indian state negotiate social conflicts as they seek to integrate disadvantaged girls into the school system by mobilizing village women’s groups and encouraging deliberation with target households. The Mittal Institute sat down with Akshay to explore his recent work, and expertise in the comparative political economy of developing countries.
On behalf of the team at the Mittal Institute, our hearts are with the people of Afghanistan, who are reeling in the wake of new unrest. Over the past few decades, the people of Afghanistan have experienced large-scale and ongoing violence and conflict, with recent events only adding to this turmoil and resulting suffering. Our thoughts are with the Afghan people as they look to chart a new path forward – with the necessary support from their partners in the international community – to address their needs, and ensure that the rights and safety of the most vulnerable in their midst are upheld and respected. During this crisis, the Mittal Institute would like to bring attention to how our community can stay informed on what’s developing in Afghanistan, and ways that they can help.
In the below article, which appeared in BMJ Global Health, authors Nivedita Saksena (Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights and the inaugural IDHN Fellow at the Mittal Institute), Rahul Matthan (Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru, India), Anant Bhan (Centre for Ethics, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India), and Satchit Balsari (Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School / Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Mittal Institute Steering Committee member) explore India’s National Digital Health Mission’s goal of creating a system of electronic health records that capture data, with the patient’s consent.
The Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System jointly hosted a webinar with Dvara Research and HBS Health Care Initiative on the role of commercial health insurance in providing better health outcomes and improved financial protection in India. Here, our panelists explore the question of demand for insurance, the lessons for countries such as India from global experiences on commercial insurance, and how the models can be adapted to suit low-income consumers and more.
Since its inauguration in 2017, the Crossroads Emerging Leaders Program (CELP) has been devoted to engendering a transformation in the lives of first-in-family college students globally. By providing an array of educational resources, direct connections to Harvard faculty, mentorship opportunities, and affinity networks, CELP identifies and supports young people around the world in reimagining their academic and professional futures, fostering “success” through locally-grown, aspirational narratives, and in the process, building cohorts of next-generation leaders. This past month marked the conclusion of the fourth iteration—and second virtual iteration – of the program.
The third monthly webinar by the Lancet Citizens’ Commission featured eminent personalities from Governments in Mexico & Thailand, leaders from global non-profits & research institutions. The panel explored cross-national variations in levels of public health investment and political prioritisation of health system improvements. With insights from those involved in the reforms or who have studied the motivations for reforms, this panel brought together global comparative insights into when, why, and what consequences political leaders have invested more in health.