My research spans a wide range of topics, but broadly speaking my work has focused on three distinct themes.
First, starting from my graduate days at UIUC, I have written extensively on the comparative political economy of development of Asia and Latin America with a focus on India and Brazil. My books on Brazil and India (here) and on Brazil and Venezuela (here), deploy novel, political economy tools to understand the divergent trajectories of these countries.
Second, I have a keen interest in institutional political economy. My earliest work was focused on reviews and critiques of New Institutional Economics. Over time the emphasis of my work has changed. My most recent publications deploy Veblenian and neo-Veblenian frameworks to analyze growing corporate power in India and how these, in turn, map onto the shifting sands of Indian politics.
Finally, I also work on the history of development thought, with a focus on epistemologies from the South. I have written on how intellectuals and activists from Asia (India), Africa (South Africa) and Latin America (Peru and Guatemala) grappled with the relationship between development, race, caste and imperialism. My most recent, co-authored book trains its lenses on silenced voices from India and Latin America, from a comparative and relational perspective.
In addition to these broad thrust areas, I have published papers on a variety of development issues ranging from the linkages between structural change and financial development, to the factors that shape financial inclusion of women at the household level.