The community's perspective, put to work
STRIDE is the policy think tank that grew out of Public Policy India. It takes what India's largest community of public policy and social impact professionals thinks and needs, and turns it into better decisions for governments, foundations, universities, companies and diplomatic missions.
We listen to the community, convene it, and carry ideas to it
We do this on behalf of the 80+ partner organisations we work with across public policy and social impact. What makes it work is the community itself: young, diverse and spread across India.
Hear what young India thinks
Surveys, pulse polls and focus groups on the issues a partner cares about. Their communication and advocacy then rest on what young India actually thinks.
Bring the right people into one room
In any of India's 25 largest cities, on any subject, with the speakers and audience a partner needs. Policy Circles are one format; closed-door dialogues and national programmes are others.
Take a partner's work to the community
A university's master's programme, a training institute's certificate course, a think tank's new report, a foundation's campaign: carried through The Policy Post, the city chapters, social media and events, to 150,000+ members.
Formats
- Surveys and pulse polls
- Focus group discussions
- Closed-door dialogues and roundtables
- Policy Circles
- Hands-on workshops
- Case competitions
- Hackathons and build days
- Conclaves and forums
And we build with partners over years. Many of these relationships turn into long-term retainers. A dedicated PPI and STRIDE team then works inside the partner's annual plan, on whatever the year needs.
Six lines of work, one foundation
PPI brings the trust, the community, the chapters and the careers. STRIDE brings the research, strategy, positioning and delivery. Together they produce evidence from the people the policy is written for.
Strategic policy communication and outreach
Turning complex policy ideas into clear communication that reaches the right audiences.
Youth engagement, mobilisation and advocacy
Creating spaces for young people to take part, lead and act on the issues shaping their futures.
Public opinion, pulse surveys and perception analysis
Listening to what people think and turning it into insight for better decisions.
Policy research and stakeholder mapping
Policy briefs, budget analysis and risk assessments for foundations, think tanks and government bodies.
Organisational positioning
Narrative, brand architecture and outcomes documentation for organisations at important moments.
Programme design and implementation
Training and curriculum design, in person or online.
A few examples of our work
A small selection from a much wider body of projects and long-term mandates, described without breaking any confidences.
A global programme on sexual and reproductive health and rights
Now in its second phase: mapping the policy environment across Indian states and convening senior stakeholders, as the programme's research partner in India.
Swasti and Catalyst Management Services
It began with a single column. Five years on, we work across the group on strategy, positioning and advocacy.
Cohesion Foundation Trust
A policy communication mandate for a development foundation with 25 years of work behind it. We advise, and we deliver: narratives, stakeholder maps, national events.
A stakeholder roundtable at Charcha, the India Impact House
Twelve senior leaders from across public policy and social impact on the future of AI, and on how young people can build careers in a field it is changing.
Research from where the community is
STRIDE's research draws on something few think tanks have: a pan-India community it can ask directly. The output ranges from policy briefs and sector analysis to original surveys. The flagship report is annual; pulse surveys and polls run through the year.
The public data sources our research draws on are open to everyone in Sarani, with notes on how to read each one.
Among the studies under way: a book-length piece with the MIT-WPU School of Government on politics as a career in India, built from interviews and case studies.
The State of Policy in India, 2026
India's policy space is growing fast, yet the path into it has gone largely unmeasured. The State of Policy in India puts primary evidence from the people entering and shaping the field into a conversation that has often run on anecdote. The first edition was launched at the National Policy Forum on 14 August 2026, from a Pulse Survey of 400+ respondents and polls run through the city chapters, on themes the community chose.
- enter for impact and good prospects31%
- say finding openings is the biggest barrier27%
- say formal study gave theory but few usable skills64%
The National Policy Forum
The National Policy Forum is the annual convening of Public Policy India and STRIDE. It runs as a chaired consultation, not a conference: no keynotes and no panels, because the most valuable expertise is already in the room. Senior people from government, academia, think tanks, philanthropy, industry and civil society each bring one question the field should confront and one assumption worth challenging.
The first Forum met on 14 August 2026 at the India International Centre, New Delhi, with Shri Baijayant Panda, MP, as Chief Guest. It marked six years of Public Policy India, launched STRIDE and introduced the first State of Policy in India report. Read the coverage in The Tribune
Trusted by the institutions we work with
A valuable outreach partner in helping us introduce development management as a meaningful career pathway to public policy enthusiasts.
Their facilitation enabled us to sharpen our strategic direction and bring greater visibility to the body of work Cohesion has built over 25 years.
Engagements with global institutions
Diplomatic missions and international institutions in India need a credible route to young, policy-engaged audiences. PPI has built that route since 2020. Our international partners have included the High Commission of Canada, Russian House and the American Center in New Delhi, and the Hertie School in Berlin. We design and run the events, map the stakeholders and reach the community through its chapters.
Tell us what you are working on
Whether it is a scoped research commission or a long-term partnership, the conversation starts the same way.