THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The much sought-after domain of public policy is no more the prerogative of students from the humanities stream alone. Youngsters from other disciplines, especially engineering, are taking up the course in large numbers thanks to the immense opportunities it provides at various levels of policy-making.
Engineers who have made a shift to the domain, say data analysis and programme evaluation, which are crucial elements in public policy, give them the edge when applying for the course in top-ranked world universities. According to Abhishek Malhotra, faculty of the School of Public Policy at IIT Delhi, an engineer has the advantage in public policy due to his or her inherent understanding of how technology works in a particular domain. “There is a need for a more multi-disciplinary approach towards public policy. Many countries make good use of people who have a strong background in science and engineering and place them at high levels of governance. So there is an increase in the number of engineers entering the domain,” he said.
Harilal Krishna from Malappuram, who completed his dual degree (BTech/MTech) programme in chemical engineering from IIT Delhi had his eyes set on public policy as he realised the discipline’s potential right at an early stage. Instead of taking up campus placements, he joined as a project scientist in IIT Delhi’s School of Public Policy. He also pursued research in ‘clean-tech startups’ from a German University RWTCH Aachen before beginning earnest preparations for a masters programme in public policy. Harilal cleared the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – a prerequisite for admissions to most US graduate schools – with an impressive score of 335/340. He chose to pursue a Master of Public Policy programme from the University of California, Berkeley, though he was offered admission from other top-ranked universities.
So what drives an engineer to public policy? “As a public policy expert, one can give directions for the betterment of various projects, including government programmes, and see its impact directly and quickly,” said Harilal, who is the son of BJP state executive member K K Surendran and party’s state vice-president Sobha Surendran. The option of returning to India eventually and playing a role in shaping government policy also attracts many youngsters to the domain.