Irfan Nooruddin
School of Foreign Service
Irfan Nooruddin is the Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Indian Politics in the Asian Studies Program in the School of Foreign Service. His expertise is in economic development, democratization, and civil conflict in the developing world. He was the director of the Georgetown University India Initiative from 2015 to 2020.
International activities include:
- Serves as the Director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council
- Served as a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
- Participates as a team member of Lokniti: Programme on Comparative Democracy at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi.
- Authored numerous articles, as well as the books Elections in Hard Times: Building Stronger Democracies in the 21st Century (2016, with T.E. Flores) and Coalition Politics and Economic Development: Credibility and the Strength of Weak Governments (2011).
Participating in:
December 5, 2019
News: Georgetown Professor Irfan Nooruddin Writes about Populism and Democracy
In the Hindu, India Initiative Director Irfan Nooruddin argues that democracy’s constitutional guardians, the people, are losing to populist leaders and technocrats.
September 10, 2019
News: Regional Initiatives Bring the Classroom to Life During Summer Trips to China, India
Led by India Initiative Director Irfan Nooruddin and Mark Giordano of the School of Foreign Service (SFS), the India Innovation Studio is a yearlong SFS Centennial Lab—experiential learning courses that allow students to apply theoretical and…
August 6, 2019
News: Inside Kashmir's Crisis—And What Happens Next
India Initiative Director Irfan Nooruddin talks to Foreign Policy about what happens next in Kashmir.
April 12, 2019
News: Vox: India’s poor don’t want money — they want health care
A new survey asked how cash transfers stack up against services. People wanted their government to provide the latter.
April 10, 2019
News: Center for Global Development: Do the Poor Want Cash Transfers or Public Services?
Senior fellow David Evans discussed recent research by Georgetown professors James Habyarimana and Irfan Nooruddin and World Bank senior economist Stuti Khemani.
April 8, 2019
News: Brookings: What do poor people think about direct cash transfers?
Georgetown professors James Habyarimana and Irfan Nooruddin and World Bank senior economist Stuti Khemani discussed their recent research on cash transfer preferences in Bihar, India.
November 2, 2017
From Chanakya to Modi: Evolution of India’s Foreign Policy Event
Foreign policy does not exist in a cultural vacuum. It is shaped by each country’s experience and self-perception. India’s foreign policy is as deeply informed by its civilizational heritage as it is by contemporary ideas about national interest, and…
April 22, 2017
India Ideas Conference 2017 Event
On April 22, 2017, the Georgetown University India Initiative hosted its inaugural India Ideas Conference. The day-long event featured panel discussions, keynote lectures, and breakout sessions for participants to interact with U.S. and Indian…
October 19, 2016
A Conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose Event
Rajdeep Sardesai, a consulting editor with the India Today Group, and Sagarika Ghose, a consulting editor at the Times of India, are career journalists who have provided commentary on India's political climate for over two decades. Together, they…March 30, 2016
Narendra Modi, Twitter, and the Selfie State Event
This event featured a discussion with Joyojeet Pal, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Information. Pal examined Narendra Modi’s rise on Twitter as an important example of new-age political brand management.March 22, 2016
India in the Twenty-First Century Event
Georgetown University's India Initiative hosted Salman Khurshid, former cabinet minister of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, to address the question "Does India have what it takes to tackle the obstacles to its growth, and claim its place…
January 27, 2016
Reimagining Pakistan: Husain Haqqani Event
Pakistan is the sixth most populous country, the twenty-fifth largest economy in the world, and member of a select club of nuclear weapons states. Yet it is too often in the news for all the wrong reasons, as forces of extremism wage violence within…
December 13, 2015
Georgetown University India Initiative Launch Dinner Event
In December 2015 dinner was held at the rooftop of the Oberoi, New Delhi to mark the launch of the Georgetown University India Initiative and to welcome School of Foreign Service Dean Joel Hellman to India.December 3, 2015
Discussion on Social Impact and Innovation Event
Sonal Shah and Irfan Nooruddin hosted a group of social entrepreneurs and information and communications technology professionals from India who are involved in varying degrees with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Digital India Initiative.” The…October 29, 2015
An Inside Look: How the Ruling Party is Changing India Event
This event featured a conversation with Poonam Mahajan, a member of Parliament representing the Bharatiya Janata Party. Poonam Mahajan was the first member of the ruling party in India to visit Georgetown University since the election of Prime…October 21, 2015
Sri Lanka: A Tale of a Resilient Democracy Event
His Excellency Prasad Kariyawasam, Sri Lankan ambassador to the United States, joined the Asian Pacific Forum and the Georgetown Asian Studies Program for a discussion on Sri Lanka's recent political and electoral reforms to improve its democracy and…September 29, 2015
Understanding India’s Democracy: MP Rajeev Gowda Event
This event featured a discussion with Rajeev Gowda, a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament. During the talk, Gowda discussed how the Indian parliament has been functioning in the recent years, especially in the light of…April 14, 2015
Kashmir Conclave Event
The Kashmir Conclave consisted of a series of important panel discussions on the Kashmir dispute led by experts in the field of South Asian affairs. The conference concluded with Omar Abdullah’s keynote speech. During his address, Abdullah discussed…October 27, 2014
The Fiction of Fact Finding: Manoj Mitta on 1984 and 2002 Event
This event was centered on Manoj Mitta’s book The Fiction of Fact Finding (2015). It addresses a range of unasked questions that helped then-Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi procure a clean chit in the carnage of Godhra. During the discussion…
October 3, 2014
From Copenhagen to Paris: Emerging Economies and Climate Change Diplomacy Event
This event featured Jairam Ramesh, the chief negotiator for India at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen when he was the minister of environment. He spoke about his predictions for the 2015 conference in Paris and how…October 1, 2014
India-U.S. Relations: A Conversation on PM Modi's U.S. Trip Event
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington, D.C. was highly anticipated and carefully scrutinized. A conversation between experts of Indian affairs to better understand the future of U.S.-India relations was held during Modi's trip to the…
Indian Ocean Research Rethinks Borders, Leverages Cross-Campus Expertise Feature
Led by GU-Q faculty Rogaia Abusharaf, Amira Sonbol, Phoebe Musandu, and Uday Chandra, the group hosts an annual symposium, convenes a monthly reading group of faculty and students, offers classes, and works on special projects that fill the gaps in…
India Ideas Conference Tackles Indian Elections, Economics, and ‘India in Transition’ Feature
The conference, run by the Georgetown India Initiative, was themed “India in Transition.”
Launched in 2015 and led by Irfan Nooruddin, India Initiative director and Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Indian Politics, the initiative is a platform…
Poor Prefer Public Health Services to Cash Transfers, Reveals Survey by Georgetown Professors Feature
Khemani, Habyarimana, and Nooruddin asked 3,800 people in rural Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, if they would rather receive cash from the government or public goods like health services and infrastructure. Only 13 percent of participants…
Asian Studies Program Georgetown Unit
The Asian Studies Program is an academic program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. It offers a master's degree and graduate and undergraduate certificates that focus on the political, economic, and cultural dynamics of Asia.
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service Georgetown Unit
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded in 1919 as the first school of international affairs in the United States. It offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs in Washington, D.C., and through Georgetown's campus in…
Main Campus Georgetown Unit
The Main Campus is the administrative center of Georgetown University and home to six of its schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, the McDonough School of Business, the McCourt School of Public…
A Conversation with Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis Video
For more on this event, visit: https://bit.ly/2MysZs9For more on the Georgetown India Initiative, visit: https://india.georgetown.edu/June 14, 2018 | Shri Devendra Fadnavis, honorable chief minister of Maharashtra, engaged in conversation with…
Challenges of Global Governance: A Conversation with H.E. Syed Akbaruddin Video
For more on this event, visit: http://bit.ly/2g0YahNFor more on the Georgetown India Initiative: https://india.georgetown.edu/March 20, 2018 | In recent decades, India has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, driven by innovation…
The Argumentative Indian Video
For more on this event, visit: http://bit.ly/2y3mQ3L For more on the India Initiative: https://india.georgetown.edu/ October 19, 2017 | On October 19, 2017, the India Initiative, in partnership with the Association for India's Development, hosted a…
India's Great Strides Video
Moderator
Reuben Abraham, Asia Fellow, Milken Institute; CEO and Senior Fellow, IDFC Institute
Speakers
Nisha Biswal, Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, U.S. Department of State
Raju Narisetti, CEO, Gizmodo Media Group
Irfan…
India Ideas Conference Opening Remarks Video
For more on this event, visit: http://bit.ly/2pNM3akFor more on the Georgetown India Initiative, visit: https://india.georgetown.edu/April 22, 2017 | On April 22, 2017, the Georgetown University India Initiative hosted its inaugural India Ideas…
The US Presidential Election and Asia Evolving Partnerships and Policy Implications Video
For more on this event, visit: http://bit.ly/2g0YahNFor more on the Georgetown India Initiative: https://india.georgetown.edu/November 18, 2016 | According to the National Security Council’s senior official for South Asia, the evolving relationship…
A Conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose Video
Rajdeep Sardesai, a consulting editor with the India Today Group, and Sagarika Ghose, a consulting editor at the Times of India, are career journalists who have provided commentary on India's political climate for over two decades. Together, they…
Poonam Mahajan @ Georgetown University (Full Video) Video
Poonam Mahajan Keynote and Conversation with Prof. Irfan Nooruddin, Georgetown University. 29th of October, 2015.
Rajeev Gowda @ Georgetown University Video
This video was created with the YouTube Video Editor (https://www.youtube.com/editor)
Kashmir: Challenges, Prospects and the Way Forward - Omar Abdullah at Georgetown University Video
Omar Abdullah spoke about Kashmir and its future prospects at Gaston Hall, Georgetown University. The Georgetown-India Dialogue and the Asian Studies Program at the School of Foreign Service hosted The Honorable Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister…