Hi! 

I am Manisha, a Research Associate at the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) in Helsinki. At UNU-WIDER, I work at inequality between and within countries research area and coordinate the World Income Inequality Database (WIID). I hold a PhD in Development Economics from Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT (defended June 2026).

My research focuses on various development issues, with primary interests in gender, social institutions, labor markets, and economic inequalities. In my PhD dissertation, I examined how regressive gender norms prevalent in developing countries interact with climate change to produce adverse outcomes for women in the long run. My research has been published in World Development and The World Bank Economic Review.

Beyond my dissertation, my research interests include exploring the long-run impacts of historical and cultural institutions and colonial legacies on developmental outcomes and economic inequalities. I am also interested in studying the effects of large-scale infrastructure programs on economic disparities within and between different socioeconomic groups. 

Feel free to reach out or ask if you'd like to know more! E-mail :.m.mukherjee@wider.unu.edu

You can find my LinkedIn profile here.