Mukesh Kumar

Who: I am an Economist interested in health and development.

What: My research interests are health economics, nutrition, gender & WASH.

Where: At the Pahlé India Foundation, New Delhi.

Why: I don't know why. For more info, you can contact me at mb.cdlu[at]gmail[dot]com

Education

Ph.D. in Economics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, December 2025
- Association for Mentorship and Inclusion in Economics ([AMIE] mentee), 2025
- Visiting Scholar Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai, 2024
M.A. in Economics, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa
B.Com., F.G.M. Govt. College, Adampur, Hisar

My google scholar,

My socials: @bluesky; LinkedIn; twitter

Bio

I am an Economist at the Pahlé India Foundation, New Delhi. I obtained my PhD in economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, and then was a research Associate at the VII State Finance Commission, Haryana. I am a Expert-Honorary at Vikramsheela Institute for Choices, Actions and Innovations.

My research focuses on the early origins and life cycle evolution of health and human capital. I explore the importance of early childhood nutritional outcomes in explaining health and (non-)cognitive outcomes. I also work on socioeconomic inequality in utilisation of maternal and child health and nutrition program. With my work, I aim to understand the mechanisms through which effective policy interventions and optimal choices of investment can help and promote health and human capital development.

More broadly, I am interested in Health Economics and Applied Micro.

My PhD Thesis in a Figure

The figure shows framework of my PhD thesis. First three chapters explore the double burden of malnutrition using the NFHS, LASI, and CNNS data and following the theoretical model of Nutrition Transition developed by Barry M. Popkin.

Chapter four and five dives into the persistence of (mal)nutrition into adolescence and human capital and well-being outcomes using Young Lives Study (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) and CNNS data. This is based on theoretical insights from human capital accumulation model given by James J Heckman.

Final chapter examine the spatio-temporal analysis and district-level clustering (hot-spot and cold-spot) of utilisation of the Integrated Child Development Services program. Using NFHS data we test the elite exit poor quality services hypothesis developed by V. K. Borooah rooted in A. O. Hirschman's quality-quantity trade-off theory.

Mukesh Kumar

Bio

My PhD Thesis in a Figure

"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible" (Richard Feynmann)