Research

My research areas cover the economics of discrimination and affirmative action, focusing on caste and gender in India. 

Gender: I have been working on India's female labour force participation rates, uncovering the reasons for the low level as well as the decline over the last two decades. I have also looked at educational outcomes of "unwanted"  girls (girls born when the parents were trying for a boy). I have worked on India's National Rural Livelihoods Mission programme promoting female self-help groups (SHGs)  in rural India. 

Caste: My papers span a range of material indicators that exhibit significant caste gaps: education, occupation, wages, access to good jobs, early childhood development indicators, especially stunting, and the role of stigma and untouchability in explaining caste gaps in stunting rates. I have explored the role of stigma more deeply by looking at the market for charitable giving and attitudes towards affirmative action beneficiaries. 

Affirmative action: I have examined the impact of India's caste-based affirmative action programme on enterprise efficiency through a case study of the country's biggest employer, the Indian Railways. I have papers examining the additional stigma of affirmative action. 

You can find my complete CV with the full list of papers here, with links to each paper.