Policy Beyond Rhetoric: Why India's Legislators Need Management Skills

In a democracy as large and complex as India, the role of a parliamentarian extends far beyond attending sessions and voting on bills. Members of Parliament (MPs) are expected to be astute lawmakers, responsive constituency representatives, persuasive orators, strategic negotiators, and, oftentimes, adept administrators.

This multiplicity of roles demands more than just political instinct or ideological clarity; it requires managerial acumen, systems thinking, and institutional knowledge.

Despite this, just a few mechanisms exist to equip our legislators with the tools and training that would help them meet the growing expectations of governance.

As we progress towards a Viksit and Atmanirbhar Bharat, the need to expose Indian parliamentarians to modern management solutions has never been more urgent. Such experience would not only make our lawmakers more effective but would also go a long way in strengthening the legislative framework of the country.

Parliamentarians today need to examine economic policy, navigate environmental law, manage international agreements, and keep pace with changing technology, whilst keeping their fingers on the pulse of their local constituencies.

Some parliamentarians who have a solid background in finance, for instance, are already playing active roles in debates surrounding fiscal reform and budgeting. Others, with knowledge of technology and innovation, are also leading in launching policies on digital governance and cybersecurity.

Furthermore, legislative committees have been proactive, conducting thorough examinations of complicated issues such as climate change resilience, regulation of emergent technologies, and implementation of sustainable development practices.

However, many legislators' initiatives are reactive and rely excessively on individual know-how or one-off assistance instead of being motivated by systematic, organisation-wide processes. Without experience with structured management tools like strategic planning, sound data analysis, and performance measurement systems, these noble endeavours can risk a lack of integration and long-term viability.

In reality, though individual MPs and particular committees show the ability to handle complex issues, without an institutionalised management structure, innovative ideas may not be effectively executed or replicated for broader national application.

Offering formal management, technical, and public administration training could fill this gap, allowing parliamentarians to acquire the abilities required to turn individual brilliance into effective governance consistently.

Furthermore, Members of Parliament are increasingly being asked to act as de facto project managers for local development projects, especially under programmes such as the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

Through MPLADS, every MP is given ₹5 crore per year to suggest development projects in their constituencies, from road works and school improvements to drinking water installations and digital classrooms.

Such tasks require a strong understanding of budget, procurement procedures, impact assessment, coordination with stakeholders, and risk management, and all these competencies are typically found amongst trained public administrators or project managers.

However, few MPs receive any professional training in such fields. Lacking exposure to even basic tools of project management or public administration, they are often compelled to depend significantly on local bureaucracy or networks in getting their work accomplished.

This reliance affects their autonomy and can result in inefficiency, tardiness, or second-best outcomes, particularly in having to negotiate complicated regulatory or inter-departmental obstacles.

Sometimes good-meaning projects get stuck because they were not planned well, performance was not monitored, or there was no involvement of the manager with the community; all of which could be avoided through the use of disciplined management practices.

The corporate world and non-governmental sectors have long adopted management frameworks to increase efficiency and impact. Strategic planning, performance metrics, stakeholder mapping, risk mitigation, and process optimisation are integral to how organisations operate.

It would be impactful and beneficial if MPs could evaluate legislative proposals with tools like cost-benefit analysis or policy impact matrices, and if parliamentary committees adopted evidence-based frameworks and systematic stakeholder consultation as standard practice.

Management principles can also improve transparency and accountability, helping legislators better communicate decisions to the public. Although, the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) provides valuable briefings and orientation; yet these are optional, ad hoc, and far from sufficient in preparing MPs for the demanding nature of their work.

By institutionalising management education for MPs, especially first-time legislators, India can lay the foundation for a stronger, more responsive Parliament. Short-term courses in policy management, data literacy, digital governance, systems thinking, and leadership could become part of an orientation curriculum, delivered by reputed public policy schools and management institutions.

In addition, MPs could benefit from access to specialised legislative assistants who bring management, research, and policy skills to their offices. Some Indian MPs already use fellows from programmes like Mukherjee Fellowship, but these initiatives need to be scaled up and institutionalised. Moreover, regular workshops on subjects like budget analysis, programme evaluation, and stakeholder communication could be held at both the central and state levels.

Crucially, these programmes should be non-partisan, focused on capacity-building rather than political ideology.

The legislative framework of any country is only as robust as the people who build and maintain it. Indian democracy, for all its vibrancy, often suffers from legislative paralysis, poor deliberation, and a lack of data-driven policymaking. Management exposure can provide MPs with practical tools to meet modern governance challenges with clarity, confidence, and competence.

As India aspires to become a global economic and democratic leader, our Parliament must evolve into a more effective, agile, and professional institution. Empowering MPs with management knowledge is a critical step in that journey.