Panel Discussion on ‘Inequality in India: Recent Debates and Policy Implications’

NLSIU hosted a panel discussion on ‘Inequality in India: Recent Debates and Policy Implications’ on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Dr. Arjun Jayadev of Azim Premji University and Dr. Himanshu of Jawaharlal Nehru University were in conversation with NLS faculty Dr. Shiuli Vanaja and Dr. Angarika Rakshit.

About the Panel

Inequality has been a central issue in the development process of India. Post 1991, while India has experienced high rates of economic growth, it has also observed rising levels of income inequality with increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of few. In the past few months, there have been debates and discussions around income inequality with some proposing that India has made considerable progress in reducing income inequality as compared to other countries while others refuting this argument. The measurement of inequality was central to these discussions and debates. In this panel discussion, the panel members will be addressing these recent debates on inequality and its policy implications. Additionally, the aim is to discuss income inequality in the wider context of its interconnections with social inequality and regional variations across India.

About the Panellists

• Dr. Arjun Jayadev teaches Economics at the Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. He has previously taught at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is also a Senior Economist at the Institute for New Economic Thinking. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and was an inaugural post-doctoral fellow at the Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University. His research combines quantitative and theoretical analysis of finance, development, political economy and intellectual property. He is one of the primary authors involved with the CORE economics textbook project in collaboration with economists from around the world.
• Dr. Himanshu teaches Economics at Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi. He is also visiting fellow at Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi. Prior to joining JNU, he was a research fellow in economics at the Centre de Sciences Humaines and C R Parekh fellow at Asia Research Centre of the London School of Economics. His areas of research include issues related to poverty, inequality, employment, food security and agrarian change. He has been involved with various government committees including Expert Group on Measurement of Poverty (Tendulkar Committee), National Statistical Commission and the Ministry of Rural Development.  Himanshu received his PhD in Economics from JNU.

Discussant: Dr. Shiuli Vanaja, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU

Moderator: Dr. Angarika Rakshit, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU

This event was jointly organised by Dr. Angarika Rakshit and Dr. Shiuli Vanaja in collaboration with NLSIU’s Research Office and the NLS BA (Hons) Programme Committee. 

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