Placement Guide 2019-21: M.A. in Applied Economics
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Centre for Development Studies PLACEMENT GUIDE (2019-21) M.A. in Applied Economics Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Contents Director & Program Coordinator's Messages 3-4 Why CDS? 5 About Us 6 Infrastructure 7-8 Events 9-10 Talks 11 Faculty 12-14 Visiting Professors / Fellows 15 Distinguished Alumni 16 Organizations that Alumni are associated with 17 Alumni Talk 18-19 About the Programme 20-22 Student Details 23-31 Contact Us 32 Director's Message The CDS started a new Master’s programme in Applied Economics during the academic year 2012-13. The programme is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and within a matter of seven years has found a place as one of the top Master’s level courses in Economics in the country. This is evidenced by the fact that the course has attracted considerable interest from very discerning graduates from some of the best universities in the country and that too in large numbers. Some of our alumni has secured places for pursuing Ph.D. research at some of the top universities in the world such as the University of Oxford, University of Chicago, State University of New York and University of Texas at Austin, Duke besides JNU itself and at the indian Instifute of management Calcutta. Further, some of the top consulting companies have been recruiting directly from this Centre year on year. Hitherto, the programme has graduated 139 students over 7 batches and the 8th batch is to graduate by the month of May 2021. The ongoing corona virus crisis has delayed our admission process for the 10th batch, but we hope to bring them aboard later this year. Beginning with the academic year 2017-18, we started admitting students from SAARC countries as well. The programme is, thus, very international. We have an academically strong faculty of 20 and these are supplemented with a visiting faculty of about 15 from some of the best universities in India and abroad. A large number of seminars, lectures, workshops and certificate courses supplement the regular syllabus of the course thus improving the skill sets of the students. The course has some distinctive features, which transforms someone who has pursued it, not only into a well-rounded economist with strong foundation in economic theory and quantitative techniques but also the application of economic theory to a wide range of economic problems of developing countries. In this way the training that our students receive makes them eminently suitable for a wide array of careers in government and private sector, in industry and academia, in journalism and in civil society organisations. Careful but rather sophisticated analysis of empirical data, which are at the same time theoretically informed, is an important hallmark of our training at the Centre. Finally, a word about our graduates who are in the process of entering the labour market. All of them have earned their place in the course after a rigorous and competitive nation-wide entrance examination. Further, they have continued to work very hard, possess excellent communication skills, both oral and written and also can be trusted with any kind of responsibility. I wish the entire batch the very best in their future endeavours and without any hesitation would welcome them to our own centre should they decide to do further studies in economics. Sunil Mani Director 3 Programme Coordinator's Message The MA program at the Centre for Development Studies was started in 2012-13 and as of now students of seven batches have completed their course. It is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University. The course structure of this programme is a blend of quantitative and qualitative approaches to Economics with special emphasis on various issues related to Economic Development. It currently attracts applications from all over the country, and graduated students pursue successful career both in academia and corporate. The programme has four semesters and each student goes through sixteen courses. In the last semester one of their courses is actually an original research thesis done under faculty supervision. Students may, if they wish, also sign up for a host of certificate courses, over and above their regular courses, like courses on Financial econometrics, R-programming and Advanced Economic theory. Moreover along with the regular classes, seminars and special lectures by noted academicians augment the intellectual and academic development of the students. The vibrant campus life of CDS nurtures their innate talents in all spheres of life in a holistic manner. All these factors definitely contribute to give a competitive edge to students in the job market and also helps them in their comprehensive personality development. Students of the previous MA batches have joined various institutes of repute as research analysts and research scholars, while some of them have also gone into the private sector. The current batch of MA students (2019-21) is a group of young minds who are hard working, intelligent and diligent. I sincerely hope and am also confident that each of them would be successful in their chosen professions. Rajit Biswas (Asst. Professor) Programme Coordinator 4 Why CDS? Recognition With a degree awarded by Jawaharlal Nehru University, the M.A. course is taught by prolific faculty associated with stellar institutions such as World Bank, UN, Planning Commission, RBI and the like. Strong Foundation in Economic Analysis Students not only have a strong theoretical base but are also trained in interdisciplinary applications, including statistical packages such as R, Gretl and EViews. Multicultural Environment CDS is home to people from all corners of the country. As such the academic environment has a unique intermingling of identities. Several researchers from abroad have been an integral part of our community in terms of participation in workshops, research projects and guest lectures. Research Experience The M.A. course at CDS has a compulsory research project as part of its curriculum in the final semester. Students also have several term papers as part of their optional credit courses. 5 About Us Centre for Development Studies is an It was set up in 1971 by internationally renowned renowned economist, institution for applied K. N. Raj. He was economics & social instrumental in drafting science research. Its main India’s first five year plan objective is to promote and in setting up research, teaching and the Delhi School of training in disciplines Economics. relevant to development. Research at CDS is organized into six distinct themes: The centre is funded by Industry; Trade & Government of Kerala Technology; Agriculture and and Indian Council of Natural Resource; Gender, Social Science Research Migration, Population; Health (ICSSR). Certain areas of & Education; Poverty, research are also funded Vulnerability & Social by the RBI & erstwhile Security. There's a seventh Planning Commision. cross-cutting theme, analyzing the impact of globalization on each of the six themes. The MA teaching Programme of CDS includes a two year The governing body M.A.Programme comprises of eminent in Applied Economics and a academicians & four year Ph.D. Programme administrators. in Economics. Both the The present chairman is Mr. programmes are affiliated to K.M. Chandrasekhar. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. 6 Infrastructure Campus The CDS campus and buildings, designed by the renowned architect, Dr. Laurie Baker, exemplify the cost-effective techniques in construction. Residential accommodation in the campus consists of quarters for faculty and staff, hostel for students, a guesthouse and a cafeteria. IT To facilitate the provision of computing services to cover the length and breadth of the institution efficiently, there is an in-house IT- service centre. Services provided include self-administered web pages for each of the users, online library catalogue and 24/7 Wi-Fi hotspots located all around the campus. Hostel Hostels are provided on campus for all the students. The campus at present has 4 hostels in close proximity to the academic block and library. All hostels have access to Wi-Fi facility. 7 K.N. Raj Library The library has over 1,50,000 titles covering economics, statistics, development studies, sociology, The K.N.Raj Library is one of the demography, history, political leading social science, research and science and other allied subjects. reference libraries in the country Currently it subscribes to 230 with a rich collection of books, journals. In addition, it receives journals, government publications about 120 journals by way of gifts or and publications of other research exchange. The library is maintaining institutes. an exchange programme of publications with a number of national and international organizations. The library’s collection is also enriched by some precious books received in the form of gifts and donation by the well-wishers of CDS. This includes a collection of books donated by the Raja of Kollengode, family of Lord Nicholas Kaldor (Economist, Cambridge), books received as a gift from Sanjay Lall (Economist, Oxford), books donated by Padma Bhushan Devaki Jain (Activist and Feminist Economist), books received as gift from Prof K N Raj, books donated by the family of B G Gopal Kumar (Economist) and many more. 8 Events Seminars The Centre organizes weekly seminars by the faculty and special experts. Past sessions have included seminars on Randomised Contol Trials, Patents, Free Trade Agreement, Behavioural economincs, Indian Economy and society, Public finance and monetary policy. Cultural Activities We at CDS are a close knit community. Beyond academics, there are facilities for several sports and games. The Centre comes together to celebrate festive occasions like Onam, Diwali, Eid and Christmas. We also play host to regular Spic Macay music and dance performances. Book Reviews & Discussions To develop a holistic perspective beyond the curriculum, the Centre organizes discussions moderated by a panel of experts, ranging from issues like Implementation of Forest Rights Act to discussions on the Indian Economy and on special reports such as the World Development Report.