Public Policy's Roberts Visits Partner University in India

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Alasdair Roberts, director of the School of Public Policy, recently traveled to India, where he gave several talks and met with students and faculty involved in UMass’s new partnership with JK Lakshmipat University (JKLU) in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Launched in 2019, the partnership allows Indian students to pursue master’s degrees in the fields of public policy, business and analytics, and applied economics at UMass after completing coursework at JKLU. In addition, faculty at the two universities will collaborate on research under the partnership.

During his visit to JKLU, Roberts met with the cohort of students already enrolled in the joint program, who will come to Amherst in August 2019 to complete coursework on their master’s degrees. He also spoke about his book “Can Government Do Anything Right?” as part of JKLU’s Distinguished Lecture Series and joined JKLU Vice-Chancellor Roshan Raina and Pro Vice-Chancellor Asheesh Gupta for a meeting with journalists about the vital need for public policy education.

"We're excited to participate in this partnership," Roberts said. "It provides an opportunity for dialogue about the common public policy challenges that will confront India and the United States in coming decades."

During his trip, Roberts also gave a lecture, “Governing Supersized Countries: The Challenge of the 21st Century,” at the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an international nonprofit, at its headquarters in New Delhi. In addition, Roberts gave two lectures in Shillong, Meghalaya, sponsored by the Meghalaya Institute for Governance. He also met with educators at several universities in the Delhi area that are engaged in the field of public policy.