Human development as social transformation
The School of Human Development (SHD) at the IIHS (Institution Deemed to be) University is focused on questions of social transformation. The SHD reflects on social transformation as a set of processes that are rooted in and address: (a) inequality in social status and substantive rights based on identity; (b) the absence of material and economic dignity for the urban majority; and (c) inequities in political presence, recognition and participation.
In defining human development as social transformation, the SHD makes several departures from other articulations of this field. It emphasises inequality, rather than just multidimensional poverty or human capabilities, as well as a more relational and structural view of what produces and sustains vulnerability.
It takes social inequality, based on caste, gender, religion, ethnicity, tribe, or sexuality, as seriously as economic inequality, as the latter often follows the former. It argues that the task of human development is not just the critical provision of basic needs and capabilities, but also to value equally substantial citizenship, political agency, and freedom, as well as fraternity, solidarity, and belonging.
The SHD anchors the University’s upcoming Master’s in Human Development Policy and Practice programme, support the Doctoral Programme, as well as the University’s other Master’s programmes through Core Courses and a range of Elective Courses.
The SHD has contributed to teaching in the IIHS Urban Fellows Programme. In the Commons, it offered courses on identity, planning and economics. The Elective Courses (Activism in the City; Affordable Housing Policy and Practice; Digital Economy; Southern Urban Theory; Urban Health; Urban Social Protection; and Work, Labour, Informality) explored critical issues shaping urban life, policy, and practice. The SHD also led several Methods courses, including Ethnographic Methods, Framing the Inquiry, and Survey Design, equipping students with essential research and analytical skills for engaging with urban contexts.
The SHD’s research connects themes across decent work, housing, health, social protection, social inequality, and community development.
This study used the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns in India as a critical moment to assess social protection systems and draw lessons for their improvement. Through two reports—one focusing on relief measures undertaken by state actors and the other on those by non-state actors—it analysed the delivery and definition of relief in the complex and constrained conditions of the lockdowns. This study was funded by AXA Research Fund.
This project reviewed the impact of social protection interventions on maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) for women in the informal economy. It assessed interventions such as cash transfers and skill training to identify their effectiveness in addressing vulnerabilities linked to informal work and understand impacts, variations, and gaps. The goal was to enhance knowledge of the links between informal work, social protection, and MNCH. The project was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This project examined paid and unpaid domestic work through a 10,000-household survey in Bengaluru and Chennai. It focused on employers’ perspectives on work quality, wages, labour rights, and social protection. Three reports presented findings on household reproduction, deficits in decent work, and employer attitudes. The project was conducted in partnership with Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), and was part of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) Work in Freedom programme.
This research stream of the PEAK Urban project informed urban decision-making through research on the design and efficacy of health systems in urban areas. Focusing on primary care, social protection and informal employment, particularly for women, it examined noncommunicable and infectious disease patterns among low-income households. It was conducted in partnership with universities in UK, China, Colombia and South Africa, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)–Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
This study reflected on issues of adequacy, affordability, and viability of low-income rentals accessed by domestic workers in Jaipur. It looked at employment and housing in conjunction, expanded the definition of housing, and suggested the scale and unit at which various aspects of low income housing may best be understood and improved. It was conducted in partnership with Rajasthan Mahila Kamgar Union (RMKU).
For any inquiries or further information, please write to contactus@iihs.ac.in.
