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Ph.D in Political Science, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru

Master of Arts (M.A.), Goa University

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), University of Delhi

Prof. (Dr.) Reetika Syal

Associate Professor

Email reetika.syal@jgu.edu.in
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ORCID ID 0009-0000-3087-7389
Key Expertise Democracy, Civil Society, Governance, Service Delivery

Ph.D in Political Science, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru

Master of Arts (M.A.), Goa University

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), University of Delhi

Biography

Dr. Reetika Syal is an Associate Professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs.  Her research focuses on democracy and governance issues, civil society-state relations, and service delivery in public policy. Before joining JGU, she was at Christ University in Bengaluru at the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History where she taught courses on Public Administration, Public Policy, Indian Constitution, as well as Research Methodology to Bachelors’ and Masters’ students. Prior to that, Dr. Syal worked at Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education at JAIN University, and  Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, in Bengaluru, Centre for Public Policy Research, in Kochi, and Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, in Delhi.

Dr. Syal earned her PhD in Political Science from the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, focusing on civil society and state partnerships in elementary education in Madhya Pradesh. She has over thirteen years of experience in field-based qualitative and quantitative research in India, including themes of elections, democracy, service delivery, education and disaster management. She also has a Postdoc from IIT-Delhi and Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands on the theme of Civil Society Advocacy in Disaster Management in India. Dr. Syal completed her M.A in Political Science from Goa University in 2005 and her B.A (Honours) in Political Science from Gargi College, University of Delhi. 

Dr. Syal is well-published and has presented her work in international forums including conferences and workshops. She has been a resource person for many in-person and online courses on research methodology, data analysis, and public policy. She is also a Senior Fellow- Governance and Education at the Centre for Public Policy Research, Kochi.
 

Election Monitoring

Electoral Law, Constitution, and Regulation

Election Finance

Shri Ratan Tata Fellowship for Ph.D (2007-2010)

Travel Grant to Brown University, Providence, USA — Brown International Advanced Research Institute (BIARI), Watson Institute for International Affairs, 2016

International Political Science Association (Member)

Arora, T. & Syal, R. (2026, January 13), Plans Don't Make Cities Work. Managers Do, Telangana Today

Arora, T. & Syal, R. (2025, November 10), Reimagining Slums for Effective Policy Interventions, 360info.org

Arora, T. & Syal, R.(2025, October 10), When the Air Turns Against Us:Why Delhi's Pollution Crisis is a Public Policy Wicked Problem, Telangana Today

Arora, T. & Syal, R. (2025, September 3), Public Policy, The New MBA in a VUCA World, Telangana Today

Arora, T. & Syal, R. (2025, July 2), Rethinking Urban Governance: Districts, Not Cities, Must Be the Focus" Telangana Today

Arora, T. & Syal, R. (2025, March 4). India needs to redefine 'urban'. 360info.org. https://360info.org/india-needs-to-redefine-urban/

Arora, T., Choudhary, P. K, & Syal, R. (2025). Access to clean cooking fuel and discrimination between scheduled and non-scheduled groups across urban and rural India. Journal of Social and Economic Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-025-00478-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-025-00478-1

Arora, T. & Syal, R., (2024, March 29–31). Women and time poverty: Examining uncompensated care responsibilities in urban India [Paper presentation]. 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics, Central University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.

Arora, T., Pyle, K. & Syal, R., (2023, April 17–18). Citizen participation and service delivery: Evidence from Indian cities [Paper presentation]. Policy Conflux 2023, Christ University & ISEC, Bangalore, India.

Shrivastva, C, & Syal, R.(2023). Exploring foreign direct investment in railway modernisation projects in India. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 70(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/00195561231204779

Syal, R., & Manisha., M. (2022). Recovering the 'public voice': Defining quality in higher education in India. In M. Priyam (Ed.), Reclaiming public universities: Comparative reflections for reform. Routledge India.

Syal, R., van Wessel, M., & Sahoo, S. (2021). Collaboration, co-optation, or navigation? The role of civil society in disaster governance in India. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-021-00344-8

Choudhary, P.K, Syal, R.,& Arora, T (2020). Do issues matter in Indian elections? Indian Politics and Policy, 3(1), 31–48.

Syal, R. (2019, July 3–4). Space for civil society collaborations: A case of disaster governance in India [Paper presentation]. 10th Annual Conference of WISERD, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK.

Syal, R. (2019, June 10–12). Disaster governance in India: Exploring government and civil society collaborations [Paper presentation]. Fourth Northern European Conference on Emergency and Disaster Studies (NEEDS 2019), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Thammaiah D. M, & Syal, R. (2018). Good governance through e-governance in Karnataka. International Journal of Research in Engineering, IT and Social Sciences, 8(1), 26–33.

Syal, R., & Mathur Velath, P. (2018, May 5). Sarkari pradarshan: Naagrik mulyankan ke nihitarth [Hindi]. Rashtriya Sahara, Bengaluru.

Syal, R., & Mathur Velath, P. (2018, April 24). Implications of citizen evaluation of government's performance. Deccan Chronicle, Bengaluru.

Syal, R., & Mathur Velath, P. (2018, April 24). Only one-fourth happy with Siddu's stint. Deccan Chronicle, Bengaluru.

Syal, R., & Mathur Velath, P. (2018, May 8). Bhagyas to keep CM's future bright. Deccan Chronicle, Bengaluru.

Shastri, S & Syal, R. (2017). The Modi factor in 2014. In S. Palshikar, S. Kumar, & S. Lodha (Eds.), Electoral politics in India: The resurgence of Bharatiya Janata Party. Routledge India.

Syal, R., & Arora, T. (2017, April 4–5). Citizens and the state: Expectations, perceptions and attitudes. Explorations in Indian Democracy, Lokniti-CSDS, New Delhi, India.

Choudhary, P.K. & Syal, R., (2017, April 4–5). Do issues matter in Indian elections? Explorations in Indian Democracy, Lokniti-CSDS, New Delhi, India.

Shastri, S., Syal, R, Palshikar, S., & Sarawgi, S. (2016). South Asia: An arm's length embrace of democracy. In R. Mattes, D. Denemark, & R. G. Niemi (Eds.), Growing up democratic: Does it make a difference? Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Syal, R. (2016). Decentralisation and civil society: Elementary education delivery in Madhya Pradesh. In E. Venkatesu (Ed.), Democratic decentralisation in India—Experiences, issues and challenges. Routledge India.

Shastri, S., & Syal, R. (2016). Understanding popular perceptions of democracy: Findings from the State of Democracy in South Asia Study and World Values Survey. Chanakya: Journal of Political Science, Karnatak University, 1–3(2–4), 3–23.

Syal, R. (2016, June 15). Local institutions: Planning and service delivery [Group paper presentation]. Brown International Advanced Research Institute (BIARI) on Governance and Development, Watson Institute for International Affairs, Brown University, Providence, USA.

Syal, R. (2016, July 9–10). Effects of intergenerational education mobilisation on political interest and participation, 10th Year Re-union Workshop on Quantitative Methods, Jain University & Lokniti-CSDS, Bangalore, India.

Syal, R. (2015, March 18–19). Community engagement with higher educational institutions and social responsibility, Two-Day Dialogue on Strengthening Community Engagement in HEIs, CERSSE-Jain University & PRIA, Bangalore, India.

Shastri, S, & Syal, R. (2015, February 5–7). 2014 Lok Sabha elections: Explaining the BJP victory in Karnataka, ICSSR National Conference on Understanding the 2014 General Election Mandate, MLS University, Udaipur, India.

Syal, R. (2014). Does urbanisation matter? Determining the political behaviour of an urban voter. Punjab University Research Journal of Social Sciences, 22(2).

Shastri, S & Syal, R, (2014). Leadership in context: Impact of leadership in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Economic and Political Weekly, XLIX(39), 77–81.

Syal, R. (2014). Sheher ka rujhan [Hindi]. Pratiman: Samay, Samaaj, Sanskriti, 2(1), 195–200. Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

Syal, R. (2014, June 6). The UPA II report card. The Hindu.

Chetan, B. S., Syal, R., & Manisha., M. (2013). Challenges in higher education: Interpreting quality in the context of expansion in Indian higher education. In P. T. Dinesha & Ramesh (Eds.), Higher education: Between quality and reservation. Kalpaz Publications.

Syal, R. (2013, December 21–22). Service delivery institutions in India: Perceptions and levels of satisfaction, National Conference on India's Political Economy in Transition, Goa University, Goa, India.

Shastri, S & Syal, R. (2013, October 25–26). Does state-level leadership drive voter choice in Lok Sabha elections?, Electoral Trends and Voting Behaviour in India since the 1990s, Lokniti-CSDS, New Delhi, India.

Syal, R. (2013, April 25–26). Decentralisation and civil society: Elementary education delivery in Madhya Pradesh, Democratic Decentralisation in India — Two Decades of Constitutional Amendments, Central University of Hyderabad, India.

Syal, R. (2012). What are the effects of educational mobility on political interest and participation in the Indian electorate? Asian Survey, 52(2), 423–439. https://as.ucpress.edu/content/52/2/423.full.pdf+html

Syal, R. (2012, October 10–12). Efficiency and equity in delivery of elementary education: An empirical analysis in Madhya Pradesh, 12th Annual International Conference on Education for a Changing World, Comparative Education Society of India & University of Jammu, Jammu, India.

Syal, R. (2011). Civil society organisations and delivery of elementary education in Madhya Pradesh: An empirical analysis (Working Paper No. 268). Institute for Social and Economic Change. http://www.isec.ac.in/WP%20268%20-%20Reetika%20Syal.pdf

Syal, R. (2011, May 5–6). Civil society organisations and delivery of elementary education in Madhya Pradesh: An empirical analysis [Paper presentation]. International Conference on Equality of Opportunity, University of Sapienza, Rome, Italy.

Syal, R. (2010, November 2). Right to education and midday meals: The Madhya Pradesh experience, Seminar on Right to Education, Centre for Education and Social Studies (CESS), Bangalore, India.
Email reetika.syal@jgu.edu.in
ORCID ID 0009-0000-3087-7389
Key Expertise Democracy, Civil Society, Governance, Service Delivery