11 December 2020: Roundtable discussion on "Backdoors to encryption: A viable policy solution?"

Abstract:
There have been a number of recent proposals that seek to place obligations on intermediaries to provide “technical assistance” to LEAs, by either creating backdoors or weakening standards of encryption. However, implementing a general mandate for “technical assistance” can have costs in terms of its effects on civil liberties, network security and on the digital ecosystem more generally. Our paper “Backdoors to encryption: Analysing an intermediary’s duty to provide technical assistance”, examines this debate with a view to understanding the competing interests involved and recommending a way forward.

In this context, the discussion will bring together various stakeholders from the government, technology companies, and civil society to discuss the development of Indian policy pertaining to encryption. What steps can the government of India take to ensure that security, privacy and other interests are given due regard in law and policy?

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: December 11, 2020
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Note:
Please register for the event here.

10 December 2020: Roundtable discussion on "KYC in Indian financial markets: History and the way forward"

Abstract:
The discussion will be based on our paper that traces the roots of the current KYC framework in the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The paper also studies the translation of the FATF requirements into law and regulations made by the Government of India and subsequently the financial sector regulators. We then ask whether KYC can be done differently while meeting our FATF obligations.

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: December 10, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
Please register for the event here.

12 November 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Online Dispute Resolution in India
Chittu Nagarajan, CREK ODR
Pramod Rao, ICICI Bank
Sachin Malhan, Agami

Moderator:
Smriti Parsheera, NIPFP

Abstract:
Online dispute resolution (ODR) refers to the use of technology to enable the effective and timely resolution of disputes. Its genesis lies in the redress of online grievances but the field has expanded since then to cover a range of sectors, including, property settlements, family disputes and, of course, financial transactions. This session will explore the meaning and history of ODR, the current state of the ecosystem in India, and what are India's unique challenges and opportunities. A discussion on these issues is also timely in light of the Niti Aayog's expert committee report on an ODR Policy Plan for India.

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: November 12, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

5 November 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Something to Complain About: How Minority Representatives Overcome Ethnic Differences
M.R. Sharan, Center for Global Development

Discussant:
Sabyasachi Das, Ashoka University
Vimal Balasubramaniam, Queen Mary University of London

Abstract:
We study the costs of ethnic differences between local politicians and examine ways to mitigate them. Using data from over 100,000 local politicians in India, we establish – via a regression discontinuity design – that delivery of key public goods suffers when ethnic minority (low-caste) representatives govern under non-minority (high-caste) representatives. We then study an institutional innovation that mitigates these adverse consequences. In our setting, local politicians can file complaints with the higher bureaucracy under a formal complaints technology. We establish that low-caste politicians use the technology, filing over twice as many complaints when exogenously paired with high-caste superiors. Does filing complaints improve outcomes, though? We run a large field experiment involving 1629 low-caste representatives where we randomize offers to file complaints on their behalf. Treated jurisdictions see a 26%rise in public good projects, accounting for 79% of the initial gap in provision, with positive spillovers onto neighbouring jurisdictions.

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: November 5, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.

28 October 2020: 6th Quarterly Roundtable – Data Governance Network

Presentation 1: The System Knows Your Name: Behavioural Experiments in Data Privacy in the Global South
Pooja Haldea, Centre for Social and Behavioural Change, Ashoka University

Presentation 2: Regulating Digital Platforms: Bridging the Gap Between Competition Policy and Data Protection
Sharmadha Srinivasan, IDFC Institute

Presentation 3: Backdoors to Encryption: Analysing an Intermediary's Duty to Provide Technical Assistance
Vrinda Bhandari, Delhi High Court and National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)
Discussant: Udbhav Tiwari, Mozilla Corporation

Abstract:
The Data Governance Network was created in 2019, to create a community of researchers and practitioners that can inform good governance practices in the digital ecosystem and produce innovative research on data governance in India, so as to enable evidence based policy making. The Network brings together some of India's leading policy think-tanks with a view to help create a uniquely Indian model of data governance.

The webinar on the 28th October 2020, is the 6th DGN Quarterly Round Table. The event will see presentation of papers and proposals by researchers from the participating institutions, with a view to highlight the latest research and solicit public feedback thereon. The event seeks to bring together institutional and individual experts, convening stakeholders across industry, government and academia, in order to fuel an engine of implementable policy research.

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: October 28, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
Please register for the event here.

15 October 2020: Webinar and panel discussion on gender discrimination in the Hindu Succession Act

Panelists:
Rekha Sharma, National Commission for Women
Flavia Agnes, Women's rights lawyer, activist and expert on family law

Moderator:
Jyoti Malhotra, The Print

Abstract:
The Supreme Court's recent judgment clarifying daughters' rights to ancestral property under the 2005 Amendment to the Hindu Succession Act (HSA) has drawn much needed attention to the issue of gender discrimination in the Act. While the HSA has undergone significant reform in terms of giving equal treatment to men and women in the right to inherit ancestral property, the provisions governing devolution of property still unfairly discriminate against women and their families. For example, the scheme of devolution for women's self-acquired property, her husband's relatives have a stronger claim than her own parents, if she dies without children and without creating a living will. We highlight these issues in a recent working paper titled "Gender Discrimination in Devolution of Property under Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (HSA)", and propose a draft amendment bill to remedy the issues.

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: October 15, 2020
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Note:
Please join the webinar here.
Meeting number: 156 598 6099 and Password: 8NYmJsGa3P7

15 October 2020: GRM Talks - Webinar Series on Grievance Redress Systems and Consumer Protection

Building a Grievance Redress System: The CFPB Experience
Chad Tompkins, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Discussant:
Manoj Pandey, Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Moderator:
K. P. Krishnan, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)

Abstract:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created after the financial crisis of 2008 to provide a single point of enforcing federal consumer financial laws in the United States. As the primary consumer financial protection authority, the CFPB has amassed enormous experience over the decade in building and implementing a grievance redress system by way of its Consumer Complaints process and integrating it with both financial firms, and consumers, and monitoring the interaction that takes place through the system. This talk will shed light on the inner workings of the Consumer Complaints system.

Organised by
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi

Date: October 15, 2020
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Note:
To receive login details for the Webinar, please register for the event here.