The state is the central object of enquiry in governance and public policy, especially as it is the primary political authority. The state is governed by norms – legal, political, social – and understanding these are basic to an understanding of policy and governance. This course examines these norms through case studies and legislative analysis and looks at how the Indian state is structured and constrained. We explore institutional norms and design and how the Indian Constitution was devised and the division of political authority into the legislative, judiciary and executive, and the vertical division of power between the Union, State and local government.