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RIS, India: A Think Tank of Developing Countries

Broad Context
RIS has evolved from the early years to its present stature of a Think Tank of Global South with emphasis on, impact and solutions for fellow developing countries, keeping in view of emerging demands, shift in centre of gravity of the world economy and India’s global role overwhelmingly determined by its economic emergence and technological prowess. In the recent past, RIS has increasingly focused on leveraging the external sector for domestic economic growth.

This has been primarily achieved through careful partnership building efforts with international and domestic agencies and deeper collaboration with various departments of the Government of India to support policymaking with inputs on global economic trends and development priorities. 

RIS is unique among Indian policy research institutions for its global connect with international organisations and widest reach among developing country research scholars, institutions, think-tanks and universities.  This is reflected in the platforms and partnerships created by RIS in recent years and the level of participation in its conferences and workshops, and also intense engagements in domestic policy debates with several Ministries, State Governments and institutions. 

Historically, RIS has been able to establish connects with economic policy hubs across the world and with leading economists and thinkers. Partnerships at regional forums based on its profile and expertise in international economics, international development, multilateral economic governance and regional economic cooperation has served RIS mandate well. 

RIS has deepened specific areas of research and outreach.  With its research engagement and partnerships, RIS has evolved much beyond its role as an institution for developing country issues and for providing policy inputs to the Government of India as a global institution with Indian roots.  

With long experience of reaching out to the global academic community, experts and the civil society in India and abroad for research studies, dialogues and narrative building objectives. RIS has gone beyond the call for duty. Recognition received in this regard at the specialized platforms like World Trade Organization (WTO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) and others stand testimony to relevance and significance of RIS in contemporary times.

The whole thrust of the work programme, as mandated through the MoA (1983) of RIS revolves round the concept of promoting collective self-reliance and South-South cooperation. However, in recent years, RIS has also amply contributed to the deliberations between North and South on issues of economic cooperation.

Historical Background
RIS was set up in May 1983 in New Delhi as a registered society for leading policy research for developing countries on international economic policy issues. 

The institute is also mandated to advise the Government of India on all matters pertaining to multilateral and regional economic issues that may be referred to it from time to time including collaborative arrangements with other developing countries. 

The Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held in New Delhi on March 7-12, 1983, recommended that RIS should pursue work relating to international economic relations and development of economic and technical cooperation.

In order to give the new set up effectiveness and efficiency, RIS was established as a registered Society in May 1983 by the Government of India. The Governing Council of RIS has the participation of Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Commerce. RIS is envisaged as a multi-country forum to serve as a Think-Tank of the developing countries on regional and multilateral economic issues among other. 

The Mission 
RIS is envisioned as a forum for fostering effective policy dialogue and capacity-building among developing countries on global and regional economic issues. Since its inception, the focus of the work programme of RIS has been to promote South-South Cooperation and collaborate with developing countries in multilateral negotiations in various forums.  RIS has also been engaged with several inter-governmental processes, regional economic cooperation initiatives and think tank led platforms across the world.
 

Framework of the RIS Work Programme
The broad framework of the RIS work programme is based on four pillars:

Global Economic Governance and Cooperation
RIS since its inception has undertaken core research on multilateral trade flows and governance architecture and analyses global economic trends in investment, technology and development. RIS has particularly focused on the role of multilateral institutions like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Trade Organization (WTO), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), etc. from the perspective of developing countries. This places RIS uniquely among Indian think-tanks that have long standing expertise in International Economics and development issues. Research on trade, investment and technology is closely linked with issues of industrial development in the global South. RIS publications in these areas are well acclaimed and internationally recognized. 

    In the above areas, RIS has supported policy-making across relevant Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, in some cases with State Government also. The concept, paradigm and empirics of South-South Cooperation from the Indian perspective is of particular significance which has strengthened the understanding of Indian development cooperation. As India assumed presidency of the G20, RIS has linked its research activities with G20 issues in recent years by developing dedicated work programme that has organized workshops and seminars and introduced new publications. Towards generating robust evidence from other countries RIS has created several platforms of engagement with international scholars and policymakers like the - Network of Southern Think Tanks (NeST) and has partnered with networks like Paris Peace Forum, South Asia Network on the Sustainable Development Goals (SANS) and the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS). The focus areas in this pillar are:
Multilateralism and Multilateral Institutions, World Trade Organization (WTO), International Financial Institutions (IFIs), etc.

  • Working for a multipolar world 
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • South-South and Triangular Cooperation 
  • Plurilateral Global Governance structures – G20
  • Global Governance of Investment, Finance, Technology
  • Paradigm shift in the definition of development in post-pandemic world 
  • Blue Economy

Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation
Rise of mega-FTAs, inclusion of non-tariff barriers and non-trade issues such as IPR, labour standards, environmental standards, etc. in trade negotiations, proliferation of protectionist trade measures and adoption of plurilateral route has complicated trade policy choices of the developing countries. RIS undertakes studies, monitors the progress in negotiations and advises the governments and other stakeholders about the likely outcomes on: 

  • Rise of mega-Free Trade Agreements and Trade Policy
  • Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA), Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Regional Cooperation Mechanisms in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Africa, Central Asia, Eurasia, etc
  • Bilateral Trade Relations
  • India-GCA FTA
  • India-EU Connectivity Partnership
  • Prospects of Global and Regional Value Chains 
  • Indo-Pacific Cooperation

Trade Facilitation, Connectivity and Regional Cooperation
RIS has strong expertise in theoretical exposition and empirical assessment of regional connectivity initiatives to assess long term gains and related issues. India does not have dedicated think-tank to address regional connectivity issues which is of critical importance in contemporary times and hence RIS contribution in this area has been of great significance. India’s cross-border connectivity in the neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood along with regional connectivity agreements and infrastructure development issues have been robustly covered in RIS research. This has supported Government of India’s decision making in terms of regional cooperation with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Research on connectivity also extends to maritime connectivity with specific focus on the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) region. India’s increasing role in the region in terms of connectivity provider and infrastructure development has promoted new research in these areas. RIS has supported Government of India’s track 1.5 initiatives by providing robust inputs in these areas. Closely linked with connectivity is trade facilitation which has been studied in-depth at RIS and related publications have been an important resource for policy makers in the Government. 

    Physical connectivity not only improves mobility between growth centers and hinterland but also promotes cross-border trade, foster people-to-people movement, and enhance cultural connect with the neighbouring countries. Along with robust network of physical and digital connectivity, trade facilitation reforms and border infrastructure reduce trade costs, strengthen value chains and contribute to industrialization along the economic corridors. Focus on the RIS work programme has been on various facets of connectivity along the economic corridors in the context of regional initiatives, and other formats of regional cooperation. The focus areas in this pillar are: 

  • Trade and Transport Connectivity Linkages
  • Economic Corridors in South, Southwest and Southeast Asia
  • Trade Facilitation, Border Infrastructure and Paperless Trade 
  • Development Impact of Connectivity Corridors
  • Technology and Trade Facilitation
  • E-Commerce

New Technologies and Development Issues
The development impacts of new technologies and access to science and technology has been a key concern for research at RIS. Under this pillar, apart from issues like Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and Socio-Economic Assessment of GMOs and emerging issues like negotiations on marine genetic resources, the following themes have been taken up: 

  • Governance of New Technologies (Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, etc.)  
  • Responsible Research and Innovation and Global Ethics in Science and Technology
  • Human Genomics, Genome Editing and Developments in Life Sciences
  • Access to Medicine, TRIPs and IPR Regimes, and Innovation 
  • Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Traditional Medicine

The Institute has been an active part of the following regional and global Networks: 

  • South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS); 
  • BRICS Academic Forum; 
  • BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanks (BNPTT); 
  • ASEAN India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT); 
  • IBSA Academic Forum; 
  • Network of Southern Think Tanks (NeST); and
  • IORA

Capacity Building Programmes
I.  RIS conducts a number of capacity building programmes. In 2023, RIS is going to conduct the following 2-weeklong ITEC programmers for 30 participants each from ITEC partner countries: 

  • International Economic Issues and Development Policy (IEIDP);
  • Learning South-South Cooperation; 
  • Science and Technology in International Relations and diplomacy; 
  • Programme on Renewable Energy for Indo Pacific including Pacific Island     Countries;
  • Health, Wellness and LiFE; 
  • Learning South-South Cooperation in Spanish/French language; and  
  • ITEC Executive Programme for senior officials on India’s flagship development programmes. This programme would be for one week’s duration. 

II.     IBSA Visiting Fellowship Programme with Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.  RIS is now conducting the 3rd Round of IBSA Fellowship programme. 
III.     Summer School on Trade with EXIM Bank of India;
IV. Internship Programme for university students in which a large number of young scholars are taking part this year. 

RIS Publication Programme 
In order to disseminate its political research and India’s position on key issues affecting the developing countries, RIS brings out a number of publications, viz. Reports, Books, Policy Briefs and Discussion Papers. The flagship RIS publications include: 

Reports

  • World Trade and Development Report (WTDR) 
  • South Asia Development Cooperation Report (SADCR)
  • ASEAN-India Development Cooperation Report. 

Journals

  • G20 Digest, 
  • Development Cooperation Review (DCR) 
  • Science Diplomacy Review (SDR) 
  • South Asia Economic Journal (SAEJ) 
  • Traditional Medicine Review (TMR) 
  • Asian Biotechnology and Development Review (ABDR)
  • Journal of Asian Economic Integration. 

RIS faculty also contributes regularly to outside publications