Research

Technical skills :  Algorithmic Game Theory, Applied Game Theory, Applied Microeconomics Theory, Sharing Economy, Mechanism designing, Evolutionary Game Theory, and Computational Economics

Computational Economics 

A Game-Theoretic Model for Carbon Pricing in the Electric Vehicle Market: Ensuring Fairness and Efficiency  (Working paper)

In this evolving electric vehicle (EV) market, balancing fairness and efficiency in carbon  pricing emerges as a pivotal challenge. Therefore, in this paper, we presents a pioneering approach using a game-theoretic model that ensures fairness and efficiency. We explore a dynamic market where conventional vehicle users, responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, must buy carbon certificates from EV users, promoting cleaner technology adoption. By incorporating fairness principles, the framework ensures that certificate prices are not only equitable but also responsive to market dynamics. Finally, the model effectiveness is tested through simulation, demonstrating superior performance compared to traditional methods lacking fairness considerations. The findings offer a valuable framework for policymakers and stakeholders, aiming to enhance both sustainability and equity in carbon markets. This study contributes to the understanding of fair carbon pricing mechanisms, crucial for the transition to a greener,  more sustainable future.

Coalition Game and Resource Sharing

A Game Theoretic Model of Swapping : Case of Battery Swapping Stations (BSS) (Under Review)

Battery Swapping Station (BSS) can either operate its own stations or request a swap in a distant market to provide reliable service to mitigate the loss in consumer goodwill. Therefore, we formulate the swapping problem as a cooperative game and identify situations in which resource sharing is beneficial, and the allocation scheme is at the core. The proposed model provides an allocation mechanism that ensures BSS's future demand, which can easily be implemented in practice and designed to optimize resource allocation in the market. Further, the paper demonstrates that our model embedded with a single attribute function has a non-empty core with a population monotonic allocation scheme.

Incentive Scheme For Sharing Infrastructure Among Battery Swapping Stations (Under Review)

We propose a game-theoretic incentive-sharing scheme among Battery Swapping Stations (BSS) to streamline their operations. Battery Swapping Stations (BSS)  aim  to maximize their  utility within the coalition by efficiently fulfilling swap requests from other players. Therefore, it's imperative to establish a mechanism to ensure that they contribute back what they have taken from the coalition. Ensuring a fair distribution leads to better resource optimization with sustainable multi-period interactions and increased competitiveness in the marketplace. Our mechanism ensures a fair and equitable profit-sharing among collating BSS while penalizing free riders who fail to maintain their market balance. The proposed framework can be applied to any industry wherever there is resource sharing among different collating members.

Analyzing the Influence of Infrastructure Policies on Electric Vehicle Adoption and Its Substitutability with Direct Subsidies 

In this paper, we have conducted a comprehensive primary survey to delve into the nuanced effects of substitutional policy on consumer preferences. Purchase subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs) are critical in shaping consumer preferences. However, these subsidies impose a significant fiscal burden on governments, and their impact on increasing overall adoption rates remains limited. A key concern among early adopters is the need for adequate infrastructure services. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the impact of infrastructure policies on consumer preference for EVs and assesses the effects of substituting these policies for purchase subsidies to stimulate EV adoption. We conducted a primary survey in the Hubli-Dharwad region of Karnataka and established a logit model incorporating five substitutional policies to study consumers' preferences for EV adoption across various scenarios. Finally, the paper suggests policy insights for governments aiming to accelerate the transition to low-carbon mobility by implementing targeted infrastructure interventions and regulatory incentives.

The Emerging Market for BSS: Opportunities and Challenges 

This paper examines the economic implications and market potential of Battery Swapping Station (BSS) in the context of the growing electric vehicle (EV) market. It explores how BSS can enhance grid stability, support large-scale adoption of EVs, and contribute to sustainable energy solutions. Through an analysis of current market trends, infrastructure needs, and policy frameworks, the paper highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with BSS integration. The paper also evaluates the economic value of BSS in the grid and the necessary regulatory adjustments to foster their widespread deployment. Finally, it provides policy recommendations to optimize the integration of BSS, stimulate market growth, and facilitate the transition towards a low-carbon economy.  

Designing a Game-Theoretical Model for Resource Sharing Among Mobile Battery Swapping Stations In The EV Market  (Final Manuscript preparation)

This paper introduces a cooperative game-theoretic model designed to analyze collaborative strategies among mobile Battery Swapping Stations (BSS). The model focuses on optimizing resource allocation to enhance market efficiency.  We propose a service allocation mechanism that prioritizes proximity and battery availability, optimizing profits based on consumers served and travel distance, with a penalty system to deter strategic manipulation for distant service requests. Our findings demonstrate that coordination among BSS can effectively reduce operational costs while enhancing service reliability, thus alleviating consumer range anxiety akin to gasoline vehicles. Furthermore, it enhances coalition stability by fostering self-enforcing cooperative behavior and ensuring fairness among participants. Our model highlights how collaborative strategies can improve efficiency and profitability in the electric vehicle ecosystem.

Evolutionary Game Theory  

Evolutionary Model of Asymmetric Conflict and Role of Risk Aversion (Unpublished manuscript)

We present evolutionary model of asymmetric conflict and find finite population Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS). Our study confirms overbidding and more aggressive behavior under ESS than that under Nash equilibrium. It also shows identical behavior through indirect evolution of preferences regarding perception about resource endowments of rival players. Under Evolutionary Stable Preference (ESP), players over-perceive resource endowments of adversaries in conflict.

Evolutionary Stability and Evolution of Preferences in Conflict with Difference form Contest Success Function (Unpublished manuscript)

In this paper, we apply evolutionary solution concepts to analyse a conflict modelled as a contest for an endogenous prize. Initially, we identify Evolutionarily Stable Strategies (ESS) in a general equilibrium setting of the contest model. Subsequently, we employ an indirect evolutionary approach to explore the evolution of Interdependent Preferences in Conflict, examining how adversaries' preferences influence conflict outcomes. Finally, we investigate players' perceptions of their adversaries' resource endowments. Perceptions of asymmetric resource endowments can induce aggressive behavior among contestants, either driven by the desire to acquire an inflated prize for higher utility or influenced by perceptions of increased investment in arming strategies by adversaries. Understanding how players perceive each other's resource endowments in a contest setting may explain over-expenditure and aggression observed in ESS scenarios.

Colonial India

Indigo Cultivation in British India: Colonial ``Blueprint" of Economic Impoverishment in Fertile Gangetic Plain   (Under Review)

In this paper, we explore how Indigo cultivation was forced upon Indian peasants by Britishers in colonial India, which adversely impacted the Indian economy and society. Colonial powers framed policies related to Indigo cultivation for their benefit, transforming one of the world's most fertile regions into a nightmare for Indian peasants.  They suffered not only economically but also experienced long-term consequences of their deteriorating health, malnutrition, and even soil degradation, resulting in adverse impacts on farming due to a lack of crop diversification and the use of chemicals in the indigo industry. Not surprisingly, the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was moved by the plight of Indigo cultivators after his return from South Africa, and `Champaran Satyagraha' is marked as the first mass movement he undertook toward independence. 

Case Study

Case Study: Chai Sutta Bar  (Emerging Economies Cases Journal)

This case describes the journey of Chai Sutta Bar, an Indian food chain restaurant founded in 2016 by two young students from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Their journey from UPSC preparation to the successful operation of a food chain having a 100-crore annual turnover which has inspired young entrepreneurs to take such risks.

Conference Presentation

International Conference on Emerging Challenges & Opportunities In Energy Sector at RGIPT, Amethi (India) - Nov. 2018

International Symposium on Applied Optimisation and Game Theoretic Models for Decision Making at ISI , Delhi (India) - January, 2023

WIEM 2023 Conference University of Warsaw, Poland - July, 2023

Invited Talk :

Global Center of Excellence in Affordable and Clean Energy (GCoE-ACE) : Workshop on Management Skills - 19th and 20th January 2023