Working Within Systems. Enabling Change.
PDAG was founded on a simple belief: the most important policy challenges of our time will be solved by people willing to work inside systems, not around them.
We work with governments, multilateral institutions, foundations, and research partners to bridge the gap between evidence, policy design, and implementation. Our work spans climate transitions, labour mobility, governance, and digital futures across India and the Global South.
Vision
To be the most trusted policy intelligence institution in the Global South — defining standards for evidence-based, future-ready governance
Mission
To shape the future of public policy and governance by advancing solutions that enable resilient, inclusive and future-ready societies
Purpose
To centre the public in public policy by bridging grassroots realities, institutional systems, and global frameworks
What framework guides the way we work?
We examine whether institutions have clear mandates, functioning feedback loops, and mechanisms that connect policy intent to public outcomes.
We design responses that are adaptive and forward-looking, while remaining grounded in institutional realities, political contexts, and implementational feasibility.
Our work is grounded in rigorous research, data, and lived experience, ensuring decisions are informed by evidence rather than intuition alone.
We centre those most affected by policy decisions, recognising that inclusion is not a by-product of good policy but a condition for it.
We examine the systems, processes, and relationships that determine whether policies move from intention to implementation, and where they break down.
Behind every dataset, institution and policy design is a human life. Empathy ensures that public systems remain responsible to the people they exist to serve.
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“When we started, someone told us: unless you take the plunge, you'll never know how deep the water is. Years of working in and alongside public systems have taught us that they are deeper than they appear — and that meaningful change requires patience, humility, and staying in the water.”
“We want PDAG to be remembered not for how loudly we spoke, but for what we left behind — better systems, clearer knowledge, and a few more people in rooms where decisions get made who might not otherwise have been there.”
“The most important thing we have learned is that behind every data point and every policy decision is a person’s life. We never let ourselves forget that — in our methods, our communication, and our relationships.”
The Team
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