Days after the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak, published a study stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Mann Ki Baat” has reached 100 crore people in the past eight years, and nearly 96% of the country’s population is aware of it, another IIM will analyze all the episodes of the monthly radio program and share the data with the public in order to assist policymakers and researchers.
In the next two months, IIM-Ranchi will review all the episodes — the 100th episode aired on April 30 — using “topic modeling exercises” to identify main themes and keywords discussed in various episodes and create a concise record to aid governments in making more informed policy decisions.
A team of three professors from IIM-Ranchi will conduct the research to understand the impact of such communications on addressing current issues. Subhro Sarkar, a Marketing professor at the institute, mentioned that the program has the potential to reach a wider audience in an organized manner, and their research will provide a summary, graphs, and tabular forms for easy access across disciplines.
Sarkar stated, “There has been no previous research summarizing entire episodes. We will utilize a topic modeling approach to present findings that are easy to understand for everyone, not just academia.”
Regarding the study process, Sarkar explained that the first step is collecting data — transcripts of all 100 episodes — and standardizing the format. They will then conduct quantitative analysis, even on incoherent parts, aiming to finish the study in two months and make it publicly available. The goal is to provide insights for researchers, state governments, and others for policy-making agendas.
When asked if there will be analysis on topics not addressed by the PM in his 100 episodes, Sarkar noted, “That is not the main focus of the study. Our analysis will depend on what he has addressed.”
