Features

Special IDR features and series, including editorial collaborations.

jawaharlal nehru signing the indian constitution

IDR Explains | The Constitution of India
In just seven minutes, gain an introduction to the Indian Constitution—understand what it is, the values and rights it encompasses, and its significance in our lives today.

IDR Explains

A comprehensive introduction to a development topic, concept, or approach that captures expert views as well as the latest secondary research on the topic.

jawaharlal nehru signing the indian constitution
IDR Explains | The Constitution of India
In just seven minutes, gain an introduction to the Indian Constitution—understand what it is, the values and rights it encompasses, and its significance in our lives today.
a group of women farmers with baskets of tomato-FPOs
IDR Explains | Farmer producer organisations (FPOs)
In just six minutes and five questions, get an introduction to farmer producer organisations in India—what they are, how they operate, their importance for India's farmers, and the major challenges they face.
group of women with raised fists-democracy
IDR Explains | Local government in India
In five questions, get an introduction to local government in India—what it is, its structure, functions, sources of funding, and some of the challenges it faces.

The well-being series

A partnership with Stanford Social Innovation Review, Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation at World Economic Forum, and The Wellbeing Project, focused on well-being in the field of social change.

image of a teacher in a classroom with students
What students want from their teachers
Researchers asked students what makes a caring teacher—and these same qualities may help support your well-being as an educator.
3 girls sitting in front of a laptop-social-emotional learning SEL
Social-emotional learning in India: The importance of intersectionality
Social-emotional learning (SEL) programmes should adopt an intersectional lens that takes into account young people’s diverse experiences of caste, class, and gender.
illustration showing the linkages between well-being and the environment
Integrating individual well-being with environmental systems
How cultivating a values-based, ecological worldview can help lay the groundwork for collective action toward the greater well-being of individuals, societies, and the systems in which we live.

Ground Up

Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.



Women shoulder the blame for climate change in Kashmir
Location Icon Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir, Bandipora district, Jammu and Kashmir

IDR Interviews

Conversations with visionaries on their life’s work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.



A day in the life of

Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.


Enabling citizens to access their rights digitally
A day in the life of an eMitra, who helps people from marginalised communities in Rajasthan apply for government-mandated schemes and services online as a way of securing their social entitlements.
Man standing with a tree in the background-bonded labour
“I don’t miss anything about the life I left behind”
A day in the life of a community leader, who mediates conflicts among his people and helps them access a better life, in a resettlement colony for former bonded labourers in Tamil Nadu.
women and adolescent girls planting trees--children's home
“Care is not a vaccine that you give once and get done with”
A day in the life of a children’s home supervisor in Maharashtra who helps victims of violence and abuse understand the nuances of institutionalisation and supports their legal journey.

Failure Files

Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.

Aerial shot of women protestors sitting_well-being
Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint 
Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.
Barbed wire_nonprofits
Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?
A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.
rural women take part in a boat race in west bengal-leadership
The road to recovery
In Part II of a conversation with Dream a Dream CEO Suchetha Bhat and co-founder Vishal Talreja learn about what it took to rebuild an organisation in crisis, and why it needed a new kind of leadership.

Perspectives

Op-eds and commentary that hold a mirror up to civil society, reflect upon its evolution, and unpack key trends.

a red and white flower windmill--scale
“Scale is a question of execution, not vision” 
An impact investor shares practical lessons from his experience of helping organisations think through scale.
three women smiling and holding up copies of the Indian Constitution--active citizenship
Active citizenship: What it means and what it takes
Developing active citizenship is key to empowering communities in a democracy. Here's how nonprofits can use constitutional values to cultivate and nurture engaged citizens.
a cartoon of two men pushing a car-coordinate systems
We need a system for systems change
While many organisations have adopted a systems change lens in their work, the lack of coordination among them is hampering their collective impact. Here's what needs to change.