Deepak Gopinath

Characterizing Indian Students Pursuing Global Higher Education: A Conceptual Framework of Pathways to Internationalization.

One might argue that an Indian student entering higher education is faced with a critical question—Where to study, in India or abroad? With a gross enrollment ratio of around 20% in the tertiary sector, only one in five in the 18 to 23 age group of a 140 million eventually gets to answer the question. But those who do, and whose numbers are rapidly increasing, pursue higher education abroad in response to a range of choices presented not only by increasing domestic provision in higher education but also through increased international collaborations (for instance, through branch campuses) that Indian students can avail of without leaving the country. As a result, this presents problems for characterizing the Indian student pursuing higher education abroad. By placing emphasis on the multiple transitions across spaces and tensions between “controlled” and “emergent” mobilities, this article sets out a conceptual framework with which to understand potential pathways into higher education, so that policy makers and educational providers can better understand international mobility in the Indian higher education sector.

Contemporary Approaches to Economic Development: The Special Economic Zone Programme

Of considerable interest within policy and academic circles, is the emergence of Indias status as a new economic powerhouse in Asia. This development can be linked to its recent advocacy of ‘effective’ local economic development policies, particularly in attempting to create ‘new economic spaces’ as a model for economic development. In this regard, in 2005, the Indian central government passed the Special Economic Zone Act: to attract foreign and domestic investment, to boost export earnings, to generate local employment and to make improvements to infrastructural services. As a result, new challenges have emerged. At one end, there is a reduced role for central government intervention in economic development as a result of shifts from an earlier central government-directed policy mechanism to this contemporary approach in SEZ policy where state governments as well as private investors are increasingly seen as important partners in economic develop-ment. On the other hand, not only have the number of sanctioned SEZs exceeded the expectations of policy makers, but also that there is now an uneven distribution of SEZ investments across the country that only a stronger central government intervention can possibly address.

A pragmatist lens on local planning practices: the case of the St. Andrews community-driven green belt.

Abstract Green belts test the capacity of the planning system to reconcile competing demands on the sustainable use of land. In 2002, in response to strong community pressure and against the wishes of the planning authority, the Scottish Executive approved a green belt around St. Andrews. This has yet to be designated, reflecting the challenges facing the local planning authority. The paper examines the St. Andrews case through a pragmatist framework to assess whether this instrument of governance can be effectively reconciled with community-led initiatives for protecting the environment.

Dirigiste and smart growth approaches to urban sprawl: Lessons from Scotland and British Columbia

Two communities operating under diverse planning systems, St. Andrews in Scotland and Prince George in British Columbia (BC), provide case studies for examining how planning tools are used in these jurisdictions to address urban containment issues. The dirigiste planning powers available under Scottish planning along with the institutional arrangements for funding Scottish local government facilitate greater containment than the community-centred approach favoured in BC, but at the expense of restricting local engagement in the process. BC’s application of Smart Growth concepts suffers from more limited enforcement powers but offers its municipalities greater involvement in shaping their communities.

Why a clearer ‘green industrial policy’ matters for India: Reconciling growth, climate change and inequality:

To ensure a healthy growth of the economy particularly in the manufacturing sector, the Indian Government is more than ever focussed on promoting the use of sustainable and affordable energy resources. Recent initiatives such as the Solar Cities Development Programme are a good example. However, in order for these initiatives to gain legitimacy as part of a new ‘green industrial policy’, the Indian Government needs to do more, especially by bringing on board strategies for combating poverty within the gamut of this emerging ‘green industrial policy’ as well as to re-think India’s position on global conventions on climate change.

Discourses and Practices in Teaching Methods and Assessment: Insights From an Early Career Academic

Translating the purposes of education into practice is particularly challenging for those who are new or have recently entered academia. By reflecting on my first years of teaching in higher education, I discuss two key aspects of my teaching practice: shifts in choice of teaching methods and a critique of different forms of assessment. Through the discussion, I argue that a teacher needs to be reflective on both these aspects and that such reflection needs to be carried out so that the student develops into a “self-directing,” “self-monitoring,” and “self-correcting” individual. At the end of the discussion, the relevance of a “project-based learning” approach starts to become significant in taking my pedagogical practice forward.