Civic Discourse Collective

We are a group of social scientists and engaged citizens.

We observe that public discourse across print, electronic, and social media has become increasingly polarized and often lacks substantive, evidence-based analysis. Reasoned engagement with issues of social and economic importance is frequently overshadowed by broad generalizations and unsupported claims.

This platform curates accessible, evidence-based writing on current policy issues from across the internet. Many of the pieces featured here are written by practicing researchers and scholars; a subset of these are accessible adaptations of their more technical, formal academic work.

We believe such writing should be easier to find, more widely read, and more central to public deliberation.

While some articles are in vernacular languages, we consider this less of a barrier today given the availability of reliable translation tools.

At present, our focus is on West Bengal—both because of our familiarity with the region and because we find public discussion on it particularly lacking in evidence-based argument. Over time, we intend to broaden this scope.

Until then, happy reading—and do share widely.