The Role
What you'll do
Policy Researchers investigate social, economic, political, and environmental issues to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what could be done about it.
Research the impact of government programs
Analyze data, reports, and public trends
Compare policies across countries or states
Prepare research papers and policy briefs
Develop evidence-based policy recommendations
Fit Check
You'll enjoy this career if...
You enjoy research and asking questions
You’re curious about society and current affairs
You like analyzing information and finding patterns
You enjoy writing and explaining complex ideas
Getting There
Class 11–12 streams
BEST
Humanities
ALSO POSSIBLE
Commerce or Science
IB
Global Politics + Economics / History
UG Courses
Public Policy
Political Science
International Relations
Economics
Sociology
Statistics / Data Science
Law
Getting There
Top colleges
India
Delhi University
Ashoka University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
OP Jindal Global University
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
International
Harvard University
University of Oxford
London School of Economics
Sciences Po
Princeton University
Who's Hiring
Top employers
Think Tanks
Government Departments
NITI Aayog
UN
World Bank
NGOs
Research Institutes
Consulting Firms
Universities
The Numbers
Salary range
Starting
₹4–8 LPA
Top Earner
₹25–50 LPA+
AI Impact
AI Assisted
AI can speed up research, analyze large datasets, and summarize information. However, framing research questions, evaluating evidence, understanding context, and developing meaningful policy recommendations still require human judgment.