Introduction

The Father Verstraeten Centre for Public Policy and Governance ( hereinafter cited as FV-CPPG) stands out as a bold institutional commitment to shaping India’s governance landscape through a combined initiative of rigorous scholarship, ethical leadership, and transformative action. Established under the distinguished and esteemed St. Xavier’s University and housed within Xavier Law School , Kolkata, the Centre is committed to promoting Jesuit virtue of men and women for others and Nihil Ultra and to foster the enduring Jesuit legacy of intellectual excellence, human dignity, and unwavering service to the common people

At a time when democratic institutions, regulatory frameworks, and societal systems are confronted by unprecedented complexities, the Centre positions itself as a catalyst for informed, principled, and forward-looking public policy. FV-CPPG seeks to bridge the critical gap between academic insight and societal application-fostering a vibrant ecosystem where research, reflection, and reform converge. Its mandate is anchored in the conviction that sound governance must be both deeply ethical and profoundly empirical, rooted in compassion while driven by intellectual rigor.

The Centre’s mission is animated by four pillars: interdisciplinary research, capacity building, policy innovation, and community engagement. Through cutting-edge studies, policy briefs, and thematic publications, it aims to illuminate contemporary challenges-from constitutional governance and social justice to digital regulation, environmental resilience, and economic development. Well-designed and goal oriented executive education programmes, workshops, and leadership training will cultivate practitioners and students to make them capable of navigating complex functional contours of public institutions with discernment, integrity, and strategic insight.

FV-CPPG’s outreach initiatives will foster dynamic and effective collaborations with academic bodies government agencies, civil society organizations, international institutions, and grassroots communities. These partnerships will translate academic expertise into actionable solutions, ensuring that the Centre’s impact extends beyond the university to influence policy discourse at state, national, and global levels.

Inspired by Jesuit values of magis (the pursuit of excellence), cura personalis (holistic formation), and the call to be “men and women for others”, the Centre aspires to facilitate a generation of leaders to combine in themselves analytical precision with moral courage. It seeks to champion good governance that is not only effective, but also just, inclusive, and rooted in the dignity of every human person for the greater glory of god.

The Father Verstraeten Centre for Public Policy and Governance is envisioned as a beacon of thoughtful inquiry and transformative engagement, dedicated to crafting a more equitable, humane, and resilient society through enlightened policy and ethical governance.

Vision Statement

To develop in course of time as a leading Centre of thought, research, and transformative action that advances just, inclusive, and ethical public policy and governance in India in conformity with Jesuit ideals of human dignity, social justice, intellectual excellence, service to the common people and for the greater glory of god.

The mission of the Father Verstraeten Centre for Public Policy and Governance is to: 1. Produce rigorous, policy-relevant scholarship that illuminates contemporary challenges in constitutional governance with active participation of the citizens, social and gender justice, digital regulation, environmental resilience, and economic development.
2. Build capacities of students and public leaders and functionaries through executive education, workshops, and training grounded in analytical precision, moral courage, and the Jesuit commitment to holistic formation.
3. Develop and bring out evidence-based policy solutions, thematic publications, and practical frameworks that bridge the gap between academic insight and real-world governance.
4. Collaborate with government bodies, civil society, international organizations, and grassroots communities to translate research into actionable impact at local, national, and global levels.
5. Uphold values of justice, inclusion, human dignity, and service (men and women for others), ensuring that public policy contributes to a more equitable and humane society.
6. Promote good governance through hand holding training of elected and unelected public functionaries and sensitizing the community about its role in the process.