Personal

About Me

I have a PhD in Economics from the University of Houston, Texas, USA. My research interest is in topics in Development Economics and Political Economy. I am interested in the study of public policies in rural areas of developing economies and as such I take particular interest in policy evaluations.

I have worked on issues in agriculture, credit access, voting behavior, earnings inequality and so on...all from the perspective of the developing world. I am also working on education policies and their effectiveness in India.

I come from the city of Kolkata in India. I love doing research and I am very passionate about teaching. I have presented my work and served as discussant in various invited seminars/conferences both in USA and India. I feel that teaching helps me keep my fundamentals strong in the subject which has indirect effects in being able to pursue my research. I am also a proud alumnus of the Dept of Economics (Center for Advanced Studies), Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

My hobbies are listening to Indian Classical Music and Rabindrasangeet (Tagore Songs). Any performing art in classical music or visual art in the comedy genre attracts me a lot. I am also a sports lover. A huge fan of Cricket and Soccer. Please browse through the tabs to find out more about me.

My Name

I belong to West Bengal, India and hence have a typical Bengali name which non-native Bengali speakers have trouble with all the time. Here's a guide to make it easier for those people.

If I spell out my name phonetically it would be - S H O M D E E P. "Som" in Bengali is pronounced as SHOW-M and "Dee" is pronounced as THE before a vowel!

Other Useful Links

1. A great way to teach yourself LaTex. Prof Dietrich Vollrath's website has almost all you need to know to get you started.

2. If you are looking to buy a STATA license, it is highly likely that their GRAD PLAN has some special offer with your university, so check this out if you are a grad student.

3. How to think about new research ideas and how to get your dissertation in shape is a question that kills most of us as soon as we are stepping into the world of research. Prof Gergely Ujhelyi has some wonderful advice for you all.

4. Probably the most comprehensive micro level database - IPUMS.

5. A useful data source for researchers in development economics - BREAD

6. The go to source for Indian data - MOSPI

7. One of my most favorite economists - Kaushik Basu

8. An Economics Journal in Bengali - Arthabisleshon