Ashwini Deshpande is a Professor of Economics at Ashoka University, where she is the Founding Director of the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA). She also serves as a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics' International Inequalities Institute and is affiliated with the IZA network as a Research Fellow.
Her research career has evolved significantly. Early in her academic trajectory, she focused on the international debt crises of developing countries during the 1980s, for which her doctoral dissertation earned the EXIM Bank Award for Outstanding Dissertation in 1994. Since then, her scholarly work has centered on the economics of caste and gender discrimination in India, affirmative action policies, and inequality across multiple dimensions.
Deshpande is the author of two influential books published by Oxford University Press: "The Grammar of Caste: Economic Discrimination in Contemporary India" (2011, revised 2017) and "Affirmative Action in India" (2013). She has also edited collections on global economic and development perspectives. Her published research addresses son preference, gender gaps in education, caste-based wage disparities, social identity's impact on economic outcomes, and the effectiveness of affirmative action policies in reducing inequality. In recognition of her contributions to Indian economics, she received the 2007 VKRV Rao Award for Indian Economists under 45.
Sources
- 1.Ashwini Deshpande — WikipediaWikipedia article on Ashwini Deshpande with education and career history
- 2.Visiting Professor Ashwini Deshpande - International Inequalities Institute — London School of EconomicsLSE International Inequalities Institute profile detailing current position and research expertise
- 3.Ashwini Deshpande — IZA – Institute of Labor EconomicsIZA Research Fellow profile with career overview and research focus
- 4.Ashwini Deshpande — Ideas for IndiaProfile of research areas, publications, and recognition