1. About ISEC:

The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), a premier all-India autonomous interdisciplinary research and training Institute in the field of Social Sciences in India, was established by Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao in 1972. The institute has completed 50 glorious years and celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2022. Over the years, ISEC has carved a place of pride in the Social Science Research map of India through the research contributions of the distinguished faculty and with the guidance of eminent members of the Board of Governors. Today, ISEC is one of the largest social science research institutes functioning with the funding support of Department of Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), and Government of India. The main objective of Ph.D. programme is to provide high-quality academic training to Ph.D. Scholars to prepare them as independent researchers and teachers in the field of social sciences. The hallmark of our Ph.D. Programme is its Bi-annual Seminars and Doctoral Committees comprising of experts in the respective domain of students’ research. Doctoral Committee (DC) meets periodically and provides inputs to the Ph.D. Scholars towards improvement of Ph.D. dissertation besides monitoring the progress of their thesis work. After obtaining the inputs from DC members, every Ph.D. Scholar is mandated to make presentation in the Bi-annual Seminars of the Institute in the months of June and December. Further two panel experts provide inputs on handouts and presentation of the students in the Biannual Seminar. ISEC has trained about 273 scholars for Ph.D., most of whom are placed in highly reputed Institutes / Universities / Government and International Organisations. Currently 94 students are pursuing Ph D in different centres. ISEC is presently affiliated with the Universities of Mysore and Bangalore for the award of Ph.D. degree.

2. Location:

ISEC is located amidst a lush green landscape of 16 hectares at Nagarabhavi, Bengaluru, adjoining campuses of Bangalore University and National Law School of India University. The Institute’s campus preserves a rich variety of flora and fauna. ISEC campus is situated 12 kms away from Central Railway and Central Bus station with a very good network of buses and 42 kms away from Kempegowda International Airport. To find the location of the ISEC campus, visit google map.

 3. Organisation:

The Institute is organized into nine academic research centres which are inter-disciplinary in nature viz., : (a) Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre (ADRTC), (b) Centre for Decentralization and Development (CDD), (c) Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), (d)Centre for Economic Studies and Policy (CESP), (e) Centre for Human Resource Development (CHRD), (f) Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development (CPIGD), (g) Centre for Research in Urban Affairs (CRUA), (h) Centre for Study of Social Change and Development (CSSCD) and (i) Population Research Centre (PRC). The faculty members of these centres supervise the Ph.D. Scholars pursuing research in individual disciplines.

4. Amenities:

4 (a) Hostels : The Institute has well-equipped Students hostels separately for boys and girls. Full-time Ph.D. Scholars are provided hostel accommodation at a reasonable rate. 

4 (b) Library : Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao Library is one of India's leading research libraries in social sciences which has about 1.5 lakh collections. The library subscribes to about 200 academic international and national journals, out of which 50 journals are accessible online. Library also subscribes to online databases viz., EconLit full text, JSTOR, CMIE-Prowess, Indiastat.com, EPWRFITS, etc. Integrated library management software LIBSYS is used for housekeeping operations and OPAC. Organizations such as UNDP, World Bank, UN and several other international organizations have recognized it as a Depository Library. Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao Social Science Digital library provides access to more than 12000 rare documents to the social science research community.

4 (c) Computer Lab: The Institute has a computer laboratory with high speed internet and Wi-Fi connectivity for the benefit of Ph.D. Scholars.

4 (d) Study Room: The Study Room with a seating capacity for 35 scholars pursuing Ph.D. and post-doctoral work at ISEC is also provided with WiFi facilities.

5. PhD Programmes:

The Ph.D Programme begins with the coursework which is for 10 months consisting of Courses A and B. During the coursework period, the scholars are provided rigorous training in inter-disciplinary research in social sciences. The scholars must pass the Ph.D. course work examination to continue in the Ph.D. Programme.

ISEC offers two categories of Ph.D. Programme - (a) Full Time and (b) Part Time

5 (a) Full Time

Full time scholars are regular students of the Institute and they are required to be in the Institute. Attending the coursework is mandatory.

The candidate must not be more than 40 years of age on the last date of application. There shall be an age relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST candidates and persons with benchmark disability.

5 (b) Part Time (Non-Residential)

Part time scholars are those who are in service and pursuing Ph.D. on a part-time basis. There is no age restriction.

The Part time scholars can attend the classes even though attendance is not compulsory.

Eligibility requirements and selection criteria are similar to both for full-time and part time Ph.D. scholars.

6. Subsistence Allowance And Fellowship:

(a) Subsistence Allowance:

For the selected full time scholars, the Institute will pay subsistence allowance @Rs.10,000/- per month during the Ph.D. Foundation Course Work (10 Months). In the case of those scholars who have been awarded UGC fellowship, the Subsistence Allowance will be paid till the allotment of Supervisor or activation of fellowship, whichever is earlier.

(b) Fellowship:

• The ISEC Ph.D. Programme does not ensure fellowships.

• It is the responsibility of the scholars to get fellowship from UGC (JRF/SRF) or any other institutions, such as ICSSR.

• ISEC facilitates Ph.D. Scholars to submit the application to ICSSR for institutional fellowships.

• A limited number of fellowships is available on merit in the Institute for the scholars who are not in receipt of any of the above fellowships.

• In case the full time scholars do not succeed in getting any of the fellowship then they are encouraged to continue in the Ph.D. Programme on their own without fellowship.

• The part-time scholars do not get any form of financial support from ISEC.

7. Enrollment/Registration:

After Enrollment for the Ph.D. Programme, the Academic Section of the Institute facilitates the scholars to obtain registration from one of the affiliated Universities. While provisional registration is done during the coursework period, final registration is done only on successful completion of the coursework and review of Research Proposal by the Doctoral Committee and the Board of Studies of the respective universities. The scholars are required to comply and meet all the requirements as per the Rules of the University from time to time with regard to enrollment/registration, submission of progress report.

8. Fees:

The scholars are responsible for timely remittance of periodical fees such as tuition, service, processing, thesis submission, other fees (Non-Karnataka fee, SC/ST of other States) etc. as applicable in the respective Universities, as notified from time to time.

The full time scholars are required to contribute voluntarily Rs.1,000/- towards the Scholars’ Welfare Fund annually which is created for the benefit of needy scholars, for five years or till the submission of thesis, whichever is earlier

The Library Deposit is Rs.500/- for full time scholars (refundable – on production of Original Receipt).

The part time scholars are required to contribute voluntarily Rs.3,000/- towards the Scholars’ Welfare Fund annually which is created for the benefit of needy scholars, for five years or till the submission of thesis, whichever is earlier.

The Library Deposit is Rs.5,000/- for part time scholars (refundable – on production of Original Receipt).

9. Disciplines for Admission Test:

The entrance test for ISEC Ph.D. programme will be conducted in the different disciplines mentioned below. For details about the entrance exams, visit the ISEC website. The disciplines or subject specializations available for taking up entrance test for Ph.D. in the Institute are:

1. Economics: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Indian Economy, Public Economics, Monetary Economics, Public Finance, Basic Statistics, Basic Econometrics, International economics.

2. Political Science: Indian Government and politics, Political theory, Indian political economy, Public policy, Political economy of development, Political sociology.

3. Sociology: Social theory, Social stratification, Social movements, Religion and development, The middle class, Gender and sexuality, Family, Kinship and intimacies, Medical sociology, Urban sociology, Sociology of science and technology.

4. Development Studies:

(i) Economics: Development economics, Indian economic history and thought, environmental studies, labour studies, monetary and fiscal policy

(ii) Environmental Economics: Ecological Economics, Ecology, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Economics

(iii) Urban Studies: Urban environment, urban ecology, urban finance, urban governance, urban infrastructure, urban and regional economics and development, urban geography

(iv) Applied Sociology: social work, community development, study of science and technology, sociology of health and illness, urban and industrial sociology, labour studies, social policy

(v) Decentralisation and Development: decentralised governance, public service delivery, and public economics, fiscal decentralisation, decentralisation and development, decentralised institutions

(vi) Agriculture and Rural Development: agriculture economics, production economics, agri-business and marketing, irrigation, agriculture reform and policy, rural transformation

10. Eligibility Requirements:

The aspirants for ISEC Ph.D. Programme must satisfy the following requirements:

11. Selection Procedure:

(a) Screening: Preliminary screening of applications is done based on the eligibility criteria of the educational qualification of Masters degree. Candidates need to submit a research proposal in the related area of their interest in which they want to pursue their Ph.D.

(b) Selection: The candidates who qualify in the Written Test shall be eligible for Centre Level Interaction followed by Institute Level Interview.

(c) The duly constituted Selection Committee shall do the final selection.

(d) Reservation Policy: All India reservation rules (15% for SC and 7.5% for ST category) are followed by ISEC for admission to the Ph.D. Programme.

11 (i) Travel Allowance: Those candidates who are called for written test/interview will be paid ‘to and fro’ sleeper class train fare through shortest route or bus fare by ordinary class as applicable. The candidates will have to make their own arrangements for boarding and lodging.

11(ii) : Details of written test followed by Interaction/Interview are given below:

*Note: Those who qualify in written test shall appear for interview.

12. How to Apply:

• The prescribed application form can be downloaded (only on A4 size paper) from the ISEC Website: http://www.isec.ac.in/phd-advt-2023.html. The duly filled-in application form with all the relevant enclosures should be submitted along with the application fee of Rs.750/- for General Category (Rs.250/- in case of SC/STs) in the form of a Demand Draft drawn in favour of the Registrar, ISEC, Bengaluru, payable at State Bank of India, ISEC Branch, Bengaluru -72.

• Candidates who are awaiting their second year PG results may also apply. However, it is mandatory to produce the proof of final PG examination results (Original marks card, OR Provisional marks obtained and signed by relevant authority of the University) at the time of attending the written test.

• Completed application with requisite enclosures should reach the following address on or before 15th May 2023.

The Registrar
Institute for Social and Economic Change
Dr. V K R V Rao Road, Nagarabhavi P.O.
Bengaluru-560 072 (Karnataka)
 

• Prescribed Application Form (.pdf)

• Information Brochure (.pdf)
   

13. Instructions for Filling The Application Form:

The candidates should clearly mention the preferred discipline (one of the specializations listed in para No.9 under the heading Disciplines for Admission Test) in which they are interested to take up Entrance Test (written test) in the application form. For the discipline of Development Studies, the candidates will have the option to choose from Areas of specialisation as given in the last column of the table given in Para No. 9(4) Development Studies that needs to be mentioned in the Application Form.

i. The application form should be duly filled and signed. Incomplete applications are liable to be rejected.

ii. Do not use dash (-) or dots (...) If any item in the application is not applicable, write as N.A.

iii. Attach only self-attested photocopies of certificates and testimonials to the application.

iv. The completed application form must be accompanied by a typewritten (on A4 Size paper; Font: Times New Roman, Size-10, spacing 1.5) research proposal within 1,000 words. The proposal should be original and shall provide description of research work that the candidate intends to carry out and shall include the following: Problem Statement, major objectives and research methodology in not more than 1,000 words. In addition to this, a statement in 300 words about the motivation to undertake Ph.D. and reasons for opting ISEC Ph.D. Programme may also be provided along with the filled in application form.

v. Selected candidates must be in a position to furnish the Transfer Certificate or Migration Certificate at the time of joining the Ph.D. Programme from the previous University/Institution.

14. List of Documents to be Submitted Along with the Application Form:

The candidate must submit the following documents along with the application form:

i. Matriculation Certificate (as a proof for date of birth).

ii. Master's Degree Certificate and Marks Card. [Provisional marks card obtained and signed by relevant authority of the University in case Second Year PG results are awaited.]

iii. Migration Certificate

iv. UGC-NET-JRF Certificate/letter (if applicable).

v. M.Phil. Certificate (if applicable).

vi. Research Proposal - Maximum of 1,000 words

vii. Reasons for joining Ph.D. and choosing ISEC – Maximum 300 words

viii. Copies of academic publications (if any).

ix. Testimonials of work experience (if any). (Compulsory for Part Time Scholars).

x. Caste Certificate (applicable to SC/ST/OBC applicants only).

Note: An undertaking that Ph.D. fellowship amount received from ICSSR and other institutions will be returned to ISEC in case the scholar leaves the programme in the middle without submitting Ph.D. Dissertation (This undertaking should be given at the time of joining ISEC PhD Programme)

All Ph.D. scholars have to compulsorily abide by ISEC Ph.D. Rules as applicable.

Contact Details:

For More Information, send e-mail to: aracad@isec.ac.in  or contact over telephone (080) 23217013.

REGISTRAR

• Prescribed Application Form (.pdf)

• Information Brochure (.pdf)