Articles by Radhika Khosla

Buildings have significant ecological footprint. But they could also be sources of energy savings. This potential of buildings, however, remains untapped. Andhra Pradesh is among the first Indian states to adopt a mandatory building energy policy. This paper analyses the reasons for the state's success. It argues that Andhra Pradesh's success owes to the state identifying the constraints of the sector's underlying institutional and technical arrangements, as opposed to following a top-down policymaking approach. These constraints were addressed during regulatory design through a participatory process involving state and non-state actors. As a result, local solutions have bridged the gap between existing structures and policy goals. In drawing from Andhra Pradesh's example, this paper offers lessons for ways to overcome the gridlock in building energy efficiency and the need to embed policy goals in their broader implementation context.

What does India's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution imply for its approach to climate negotiations? And what implications does it have for domestic development choices? This article examines India's INDC through each lens, to understand the implied logic with regard to India's complex climate-development choices, and with regard to its strategic international choices. It finds that the INDC reflects, as yet, an inadequate consideration of the climate and development linkages that should inform India's actions. The contribution reflects a strategic choice to be "middle of the road," which neither disrupts the fragile diplomatic consensus nor creates pressure for more urgent global action.