Call for Papers | Kautilya Colloquy 2026 at Kautilya School of Public Policy, GITAM University [Cash Prizes 45k]: Submit by Aug 30

About Kautilya Colloquy

The Kautilya School of Public Policy at GITAM (Deemed to be University), Hyderabad, proudly presents the 4th Edition of Kautilya Colloquy 2026, our flagship academic conference, bringing together scholars, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students to examine the most pressing challenges in governance and public policy.

The 2026 edition, themed “Policy Pathways: From Roots to Routes“, explores how public policy evolves across time, shaped by historical legacies, present-day choices, and future possibilities. The conference invites participants to reflect on the roots of contemporary governance while charting new pathways for resilient, inclusive, and evidence-based policymaking.

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Venue

Kautilya School of Public Policy, GITAM University, Hyderabad Campus

Timeline

• Full Paper Submission Deadline – 30th August 2025
• Presentation Submission Deadline – 23rd September 2026

Note: All submissions will be checked via Turnitin to ensure originality and academic integrity.

Submission Guidelines

• Paper Length: 5000-7000 words (excluding references)
• Citation Style: APA 7th Edition
• Authorship: Submissions are welcome from individual authors as well as a team of co-authors
• Accepted Submission Types: Full papers, Work-in-progress papers.
• Allocated Time per Presenter: 8 minutes and extra questions time
• Presenters are expected to adhere strictly to time limits to allow fair participation and maintain session flow.

Approaches to the Theme

Participants are encouraged to engage with the theme through the following lenses:

Inherited Futures: The Weight of Yesterday

Examines how early policy choices and institutional legacies continue to shape modern governance and constrain present possibilities.

Scrying Futures: The Lock-Ins of Today

Explores how current policy decisions create long-term trajectories and self-reinforcing systems that may limit future freedoms.

Looking Glass: The Spectre of Untaken Paths

Revisits moments where alternative policy pathways were possible, challenging the inevitability of history and opening new futures.

Themes and Areas of Research

Participants may submit papers under the following broad areas:

1.     Institutions and Administration

• Land Administration and Acquisition Frameworks
• Preventive Law and Emergency Governance
• Administrative Language Systems and Access to Public Services

2.     Geopolitical Structures and Strategic Memory

• Borders, Migration and Regional Security Dynamics
• Trade Networks, Resource Geopolitics and Strategic Dependencies
• Identity, Memory and National Narratives in Foreign Policy

3.     Social Systems and Ecological Transformation

• Infrastructure Models and Public Mobility
• Waste Management and Urban Climate
• Labour Informality and Social Protection

4.     Economic Structures and Financial Governance

• Currency and Public Trust
• Agriculture Security Frameworks
• Tax Structures and Digital Compliance
• Economic Institutions: Enablers or Extensions of Red-Tapism

5.     Technological Governance and Institutional Futures

• Digital Identity, Data Governance and State Infrastructures
• Cybersecurity, Regulation and Technological Governance
• Emerging Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Governance

Note: Interdisciplinary topics are encouraged.

Publication & Recognition

• All papers will undergo a thorough review for academic rigour, originality and relevance.
• Top submissions will receive the following recognitions:
• The selected best paper will be considered for publication in the Kautilya Working Paper Series (subject to revisions)
• The Best 2 papers will receive cash prizes;
  • 1^st  Prize: ₹25,000
  • 2^nd  Prize: ₹20,000
• Participants will receive a certificate of presentation and gain access to policy networking sessions during the colloquy.

Note: All submissions will be checked to ensure originality and academic integrity.

Registration Fee

₹500 (to be paid only upon selection)

Submission Procedure

Click Here To Submit.

Interested candidates can submit entries via the link given at the end of the post.

The event notification is here.