Dr V N Alok is Professor in the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) since 1999 and a Public Finance Economist whose primary interest is in fiscal federalism, local public finance and public governance. He has been the Member of Delhi Finance Commission and contributed to almost all successive Union and State Finance Commissions since 1995 in different capacities. He conceptualized the ‘devolution index’, by ranking States, and constructed it annually during 2009-15. On the basis, the Prime Minister awarded the top ranked States every year on the National Panchayat Day celebrated on the 24th April. He constructed this index in the year 2023-24 as well. The same was released on 13 February 2025 by the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj. He received Economics Award in Public Finance in 2025 by the Skoch India Economic Forum.
He has led and conducted many research studies funded by the Constitutional bodies, Union and State Governments in India, multi-lateral organizations in range of public policy issues. His recent public policy research studies are funded by the 16th Finance Commission, State Finance Commissions, Gujarat Administrative Reform Commission and Union Ministries. Dr Alok has written number of books and articles to reputed journals & economic dailies on spheres of public finance and policy. His recent book is from Palgrave Macmillan on ‘Fiscal Decentralization in India: Outcome Mapping of State Finance Commissions’.
Dr Alok has designed and conducted various international and national training workshops for policy makers and senior civil servants, in parts of Asia and Africa as well as Brazil, on spheres of public finance including fiscal federalism, tax reform, local governments etc with the support of the Government of India, the World Bank, the Forum of Federations, Canada and Hanns Seidel Foundation. He has also organized Induction Programme for Joint Secretaries/Directors/Deputy Secretaries joined Government of India through Lateral Entries in 2019, 2022 and 2024.
Dr Alok has been a member/member secretary (equivalent to the Secretary to Government of India) of several policy making committees. He is a University Grants Commission (UGC) nominee in many educational boards. He co-edited quarterly journal on urban affairs namely, Nagarlok. He is a referee for many international journals & publications and an examiner of Economics for the most competitive examination of the country. more....
E-mail : vnalok@iipa[dot]education
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Devolution Index Report Published on PIB
Status of Panchayats in States 2024- Main Report
Status of Panchayats in States 2024 - Summary
Status of Panchayats in States 2024 - Annexes
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2102965
Dr Alok has designed and conducted various high level international and national training workshops for policy makers and senior civil servants, in parts of Asia, Africa as well as Brazil, on spheres of public finance including fiscal federalism, tax reform, local governments etc with the support of the Government of India, the World Bank, the Forum of Federations, Canada and Hanns Seidel Foundation. He has also organized Induction Programme for Joint Secretaries/Directors/Deputy Secretaries who joined Government of India through Lateral Entries in 2019, 2022 and 2024 and ‘Policy Dialogues with 72 nominated Joint Secretaries to Government of India on Current Economic Reforms under Cooperative Federalism. In the recent time, he has organized 16th Finance Commission’s Consultation with Economists and International Experience Sharing workshops for the Hanns Seidel Foundation, India and Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and Forum of Federations, Canada.
Dr Alok has written number of books and articles to reputed journals & economic dailies on subjects of public policy and finance. Occasionally, he also participates live in debates on national TVs including NDTV and DD. He also co-edits Nagarlok - A Quarterly Journal on Urban Affairs. His publications include books on a) Status of Devolution to Panchayats in States published by IIPA and MoPR, b) Fiscal Decentralization in India published by Palgrave Macmillan and c) Panchayat Finances in India published by NITI Aayog and IIPA. He introduced the concept of devolution index by introducing a paper in 2004 and operationalized it through a study published as a book on Panchayats in India: Measuring Devolution by States by Macmillan in 2010. His research paper on ‘Share of Local Governments in the Union Divisible Pool: An Option before the 13th Finance Commission’ published in Indian Journal of Public Administration led to major policy review.
Address
Prof V N Alok
Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA)
I P Estate, Ring Road, New Delhi 110 002 (India)
Phone (Res.) +91-11- 23468513
(Institute) +91-11- 23468313, 23724338
FAX: +91-11- 23724338, 23702440
