June 17, 2023

Good morning. Every Saturday, we publish the results of polls from feature stories that were published the past week. We also give a brief overview of the topics that were discussed.

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🗳️ POLL RESULTS – Week 129

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🗓️ THE WEEK THAT WAS

Is the NIRF ranking system credible?

Daily | 12 June 2023

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) appeared on the scene in 2016. Since the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) introduced it, NIRF has become the most sought-after ranking system. Yet, it’s not without its problems. Experts question its methodology, assessment criteria, and its year-on-year variability. Given its shortcoming, is the NIRF still a credible source to understand the higher education tournoi? Read more on this here.

Is free public transport a silver bullet?

Daily | 13 June 2023

If cities make travelling by bus free, would that solve the headache of getting people on board? Would that make people look at public transport differently? Would it make it safer? Would that work in India? We discuss it here.

Can Gender Lens Investing reduce gender disparity in economic productivity?

Daily | 14 June 2023

After a series of global shocks, new approaches to gender parity are the need of the hour, to render women’s economic productivity less volatile, and to boost the financial performance of companies to pre-pandemic levels. Gender lens investing (GLI) could be a panacea. That’s how some promote it, at least. But if that were the case, why isn’t it a mainstream approach yet? Can it come through on what it promises? We unpack this here.

Is the Global Slavery Index (GSI) reliable?

Daily | 15 June 2023

The 2023 Global Slavery Index was released recently, and the results were shocking – 50 million people worldwide living in conditions described as modern slavery. However, some have questioned whether the GSI is accurate and if its methodology is sound. Find the debate here.

Will a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) significantly benefit India’s social sector?

Daily | 16 June 2023

In February 2023, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) launch of Social Stock Exchanges (SSE). It also allowed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to launch its SSE. The SSE could bridge the unremitting gap between investors and the social sector. Its outlook is positive, but not without challenges. More on this story here.