Kunal Sen
Economist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kunal Sen is an economist whose work is in development economics. He is a professor of development economics at the University of Manchester and served as director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER).
Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA)
University of Bombay (BA)
Kunal Sen | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Kunal Kalyan Sen |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Rutgers University (PhD, MA) Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA) University of Bombay (BA) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Development economics |
| Institutions | University of Manchester United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research |
| Website | |
Education
Sen received his PhD in economics from Rutgers University in 1989.[1] He previously completed a Master of Arts in economics at Rutgers University in 1987. He earned an MA in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1984 and a BA in economics and mathematics from the University of Bombay in 1982.[2]
Academic career
Sen worked at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research in Mumbai, where he was assistant professor and later associate professor between 1990 and 1995.[3][4] He subsequently held academic positions at the Australian National University,[5] Massey University in New Zealand, and the University of East Anglia, where he worked from 1999 to 2006.[6]
In 2006, Sen joined the University of Manchester as professor of development economics at the Global Development Institute. He served as research director there from 2011 to 2016.[7]
In January 2019, Sen was appointed director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), a United Nations research institute based in Helsinki.[2]
Sen has been a Research Fellow at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics since 2006.[8] From 2020 to 2022, he held the Dr. V. R. V. Rao Chair Professorship at the Institute for Social and Economic Change in India.[9]
In 2025, he was elected a Founding Fellow of the Royal Economic Society.[10]
Publications
Sen has authored, co-authored, edited, and co-edited books on development economics, political economy, structural transformation, labour markets, and economic policy.
Authored and co-authored books
- Pathways to Development: From Politics to Power (with S. Hickey). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.[11][12]
- Varieties of Structural Transformation: Patterns, Determinants and Consequences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023.
- The Political Economy of India’s Growth Episodes (with S. Kar). London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.[13]
- Out of the Shadows? The Informal Sector in Post-Reform India (with R. Raj). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.[14]
- Trade Policy, Inequality and Performance in Indian Manufacturing. London: Routledge, 2008.[15]
- International Competitiveness, Investment and Finance: A Case-study of India (with A. G. Kumar and R. Vaidya). London: Routledge, 2003.[16]
- Saving, Investment and Growth in India (with P. Athukorala). Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2002.[17]
- Policy Regimes and Industrial Competitiveness: A Comparative Study of East Asia and India (with P. Agrawal, S. Gokarn, V. Mishra and K. S. Parikh). Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000.[18]
- The Process of Financial Liberalization in India (with R. R. Vaidya). Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997.
- Economic Restructuring in East Asia and India: Perspectives on Policy Reform (with P. Agrawal, S. Gokarn, V. Mishra and K. S. Parikh). Basingstoke: Macmillan; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.[19][20]
Edited and co-edited books
- The Domestic Savings Shortfall in Sub-Saharan Africa: What Can Be Done About It? (with R. Ngugi). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025.
- COVID-19 and the Informal Economy: Impact, Recovery and the Future (with M. Chen and M. Rogan). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.
- Tasks, Skills and Institutions: The Changing Nature of Work and Inequality (with C. Gradin, P. Lewandowski and S. Schotte). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Climbing the Job Ladder? Transforming Informal and Formal Work in a Dynamic Context (with G. Field, T. H. Gindling, M. Danquah and S. Schotte). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022.[21]
- The Developer’s Dilemma: Structural Transformation, Inequality Dynamics and Inclusive Growth (with A. Alisjahbana, A. Sumner and A. Yusuf). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022.
- Social Mobility in Developing Countries: Concepts, Methods and Determinants (with V. Iversen and A. Krishna). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
- Deals and Development: The Political Dynamics of Growth Episodes (with L. Pritchett and E. Werker). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.[22]
- The Politics of Inclusive Development: Interrogating the Evidence (with S. Hickey and B. Bukenya). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.[23]
- Productivity in Indian Manufacturing: Measurements, Methods and Analysis (with V. Kathuria and R. Raj). Delhi: Routledge India, 2014.
- State-Business Relations and Economic Development in Africa and India. London: Routledge, 2013.[24]
- Research Collection on Institutions and Governance in Developing Countries. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2013.