Intent and Outcome

Good policy intentions do not always translate into successful outcomes. Often, the gap lies not in the objective itself, but in the way it is designed and implemented.

In his latest column for Business Standard, Dr. M. S. Sriram, Public Policy area, IIM Bangalore, revisits his long-held premise that “design must favour intent” to explore why regulatory experiments sometimes fall short of their promise. In the article ‘Intent and Outcome’, he examines a range of initiatives, including local area banks, payments banks, and peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms, to highlight how structural and design choices can shape their effectiveness.

Through these examples, the article underscores an important lesson for policymakers: achieving desired outcomes requires not only clear intent but also institutional designs that are aligned with those goals.

Read the full article in the attached PDF.