October 8, 2026
What does courage actually require?
Speaking up can carry real financial, legal, and political risks for civil society organisations. What would it take to build a collective sectoral voice that can stand up to power?
Harsh Shrivastava
Harsh Shrivastava is an expert in public policy and systems change. He has worked across corporates, civil society, academia, media, and governments for 31 years, developing a broad and deep understanding of policies, institutions, and the economy. Harsh co-authored one of India’s earliest books on CSR, The Business of Social Responsibility: The Why, What, and How of Corporate Social Responsibility in India. He was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's deputy speechwriter for four years, and contributed in the making of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan.
Areas of expertise
Policy implementation and advocacy, strategy, CSR, politics
Currently working at
Indian School of Public Policy, Senior Fellow
Articles by Harsh Shrivastava
April 29, 2026
Systems change needs politicians
Working within broken systems won't help fix them. Real change depends on political will, and civil society must engage with politics to unlock it.
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