Hello. I am a consultant economist. I currently work with the Global Development Network (GDN), where I lead research for the Inclusivity Measurement Programme within GDN's Inclusive Digital Transformation Hub, which houses the network's work on Digital Public Infrastructure. Our work supports research and evidence on how countries design, deploy, and benefit from inclusive digital transformation.
I hold a PhD in Economics from the Geneva Graduate Institute. My research spans digital economics, migration, public finance, gender, and household behaviour in developing countries. I am a research fellow at the International Institute of Migration and Development, and I hold a Master in Development Studies from the Geneva Graduate Institute and a Bachelor in Economics from the University of Delhi.
Peer-reviewed Publications
The last straw? Experiences and future plans of returned migrants in the India–GCC corridor [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. and Tohidimehr H. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 49(20): 5169–89 (2023).
Routine childhood vaccination in India from 2005–2006 to 2015–2016: Temporal trends and geographic variation [Link]
with Nayar R., Mantha N., Debnath S., and Deo S. Vaccine, 40(48): 6924–30 (2022).
Distress return migration amidst COVID-19: The Kerala response [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 31(2): 176–89 (2022).
Book Chapters
COVID-19 led return migration from the Gulf–India migration corridor [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. In International Migration, COVID-19 and Environmental Sustainability, Emerald Publishing (2023).
What next for the COVID-19 return emigrants? Findings from the Kerala Return Emigrant Survey [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. In India Migration Report 2021, Routledge India (2022).
Keeping up with Kerala's Joneses [Link]
In India Migration Report 2020: Kerala Model of Migration Surveys, Routledge (2020).
Other Writing
The Socioeconomic Impact of Digital Public Infrastructure: Evidence from Bangladesh, Benin, and Ethiopia [Link]
Global Development Network report (2025).
Imagining the Future from the Global South: DPI at Clermont Innovation Week 2025 [Link]
Global Development Network blog (2025).
Kerala Return Emigrant Survey 2021: What next for return migrants of Kerala? [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. CDS Working Paper 504 (2021).
Kerala Return Emigrant Survey 2021: Insights and the Way Forward [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. World Bank Blogs (2021).
The resilient international migrant deserves better [Link]
with Irudaya Rajan S. World Bank Blogs (2020).
For academic publications, see Google Scholar; for non-academic work, see the Global Development Network.
Professional Experience
- Consultant Economist & Research Lead – Inclusivity Measurement Programme, Inclusive Digital Transformation Hub, Global Development Network, Geneva.
- Consultant Economist, Nayaneethi Policy Collective.
- Consultant Economist, World Bank Group.
- Research Assistant, NORRAG, Geneva.
- Research Assistant, Geneva Graduate Institute.
- Research Associate & Teaching Assistant, Indian School of Business.
- Research Assistant & Survey Consultant, Centre for Development Studies, on projects for the Governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Teaching
- Instructor (Adjunct), Smith College in Geneva.
- Teaching Assistant – Managerial Economics, Indian School of Business (Hyderabad and Mohali).
Fellowships & Affiliations
- Research Fellow, International Institute of Migration and Development, Thiruvananthapuram.
- Doctoral Affiliate, Global Migration Centre, Geneva.
- Runner-up, Global Migration Award for best master thesis in migration.
Education
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PhD in Economics, Geneva Graduate Institute.
Thesis: Essays in Public Finance and Development Economics, supervised by Professors Jean-Louis Arcand & Martina Viarengo, with Vijayendra Rao as external examiner. - Master in Development Studies, Geneva Graduate Institute.
- Bachelor in Economics, University of Delhi.
Languages
English, Malayalam & Hindi.