Education
Ph.D. in Economics, University of California, Irvine 2022
Master of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi 2014
Bachelor of Economics (Honors), University of Delhi 2011
Research fields
Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Labor Economics, Political Economics, Applied Microeconomic theory
Working Papers
Persistence of Discrimination: theory and experimental evidence
Why does discrimination persist when there is evidence that it is dynamic and discriminatory bias can be overcome? I model dynamic discrimination as a repeated contest between a favored and an unfavored candidate such that bias declines or reverses if the unfavored (discriminated) candidate wins in the initial round. I show that the favored candidate’s threat of losing privilege is more salient than the unfavored candidate’s opportunity of overcoming bias in a repeated competition. Experimental data confirms that reducible and reversible biases cause the favored candidate to increase their effort significantly more than the unfavored candidate unless the unfavored candidate cares sufficiently more about the future. Discrimination persists even when bias can be overcome due to the favored candidate’s resistance to change.
The economics of street charity: evidence from India
In this paper, I use propensity score matching (PSM) on survey data from urban India to investigate if charitable giving differs towards beggars and street vendors who also offer a product while soliciting money. The results from the restricted sample where the money giver had no potential use for the product and stated charity as a reason for their purchase suggest that transfers to vendors are substantially larger than transfers to beggars. Based on the findings from the survey, I develop a signaling model of street charity, which considers the objectives of both the charity solicitor and giver, and show that in a separating equilibrium, the act of vending separates the involuntary unemployed from the voluntary unemployed, predicting larger charitable transfers to vendors compared to beggars.
“Which gendered laws matter for women’s economic empowerment?” (joint with Anna Fruttero and Diego Gomes)
“Gender norms and the partition of British India” (joint with Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay and Mahima Vasishth)
“Discontinuity of Gender discrimination: theory and experimental evidence from India”
“Behavioral traits and the underrepresentation of women in economic policymaking” (joint with Anna Fruttero)
Work Experience
Fund Intern, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monetary Fund 2021
Graduate Student Researcher for Professor John Duffy, UC Irvine 2021
Graduate Student Researcher for Professor Michael McBride, UC Irvine 2020
Graduate Student Researcher for Professor Jean-Paul Carvalho, Oxford University 2019
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant, Department of Economics, UC Irvine
Graduate level: Microeconomic Theory 1 Fall 2018, 2019 Microeconomic Theory 2 or Game theory Winter 2019, 2020
Undergraduate level: Intermediate Microeconomics (Virtual) Spring 2021 Probability Theory Fall 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2019 Managerial Economics Winter 2018 Economics of Strategy Fall 2017 Basic Macroeconomics Spring 2017 Basic Microeconomics Winter 2017
Assistant Professor, Indian School of Business and Finance, London School of Economics and Political Science – International Center, New Delhi, IndiaIntroduction to Economics (Undergraduate Microeconomics and Macroeconomics) 2015-16
Research Grants & Fellowships
Experimental Social Science Laboratory Research Grant, UC Irvine ($2400)
Social Sciences Graduate Students Fellowship, UC Irvine ($12500)
Graduate Division Completion Fellowship, UC Irvine ($7500)
Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition Grant, UC Irvine ($5000)
Associate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship, UC Irvine ($7500)
Kugelman Citizen Peace-building Fellowship, UC Irvine ($3000)
Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies Research Grant, UC Irvine ($2800)
Initiatives to End Family Violence Research Grant, UC Irvine ($1000)
Department of Economics Summer Research Fellowship, UC Irvine ($8600)
Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies Travel Grant, UC Irvine ($2000)
Department of Economics Travel Grant, UC Irvine ($500)
Service and Leadership
Referee for Experimental Economics, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control
Organizer of the Theory, History, and Political Economy Workshop at UC Irvine 2020–2021
Graduate Student mentor, UC, Irvine 2019–2021
Conference and Workshop Presentations
Association for Study of Religion Economics and Culture Graduate Student Conference 2021
Ahmedabad University’s 2nd Annual Economics Conference 2021
Winter School, Delhi School of Economics & The Econometric Society 2020
Behavioral Research in Economics Workshop, IIM-A & IIM-B 2020
Southern Economic Association Conference 2020
Economic Science Association Global Virtual Conference 2020
Contests: Theory and Evidence Conference Conference 2019, 2020
Workshop on India’s Women, Work and Development – Evidence for Policy and Design, Indian Statistical Institute 2019
Institute for Mathematics and Behavioral Science Graduate Student Workshop 2019
Women in Economics Spring Workshop, UC Irvine 2019
Graduate Student Workshop by the Association for the Study of Religion, Economics and Culture 2019
Software Skills
Proficient in Python, STATA, oTree, LaTeX and MS Office