Meet our New Faculty | Dr. Suryaprakash Mishra
April 24, 2023
We extend a warm welcome to Dr. Suryaprakash Mishra who has joined us as Associate Professor, Social Sciences.
Prior to joining NLSIU, he taught at the School of Economics, XIM University, Bhubaneswar and at XLRI Jamshedpur. He has also taught a variety of courses across other institutions. While his primary research interest is Applied Microeconomic Theory, his work focuses primarily on topics in Industrial Organization, Law and Economics, Development Economics, International Trade and Public Finance/ Economics. This includes issues related to bargaining, competition and innovation, political economy and informal sector, poverty and inequality, credit market imperfection, and tax claims and sham litigation.
In this interview, he tells us more about his interests and his work.
1. Can you tell us more about yourself?
Hailing from north India, I have had stints in different parts of the country. I spent some time in Ooty, Tamil Nadu during my schooling at Lawrence School, Lovedale. I then went on to complete my undergraduate and postgraduate education at Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune, and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) respectively. Thereafter, I went to Clemson University, USA and graduated with an M.S. in Applied Economics & Statistics. I earned my Ph.D. (Economics) from the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC).
My academic career too has spanned across various institutions and places. I was a GTA/Instructor at Clemson University and taught Principle of Economics and Experimental Statistics. In India, I started with the School of Law, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. Thereafter, I joined NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad and then moved to National Law University, Delhi. My most recent academic affiliations were with the School of Economics, XIM University, Bhubaneswar and XLRI Jamshedpur, where I was a Visiting Professor.
Sports and literature are my other interests. I have played soccer, hockey and volley ball for the school and continued playing hockey for the college as well. I have some liking for poetry and at times, attempt writing Hindi poetry.
2. What are your main areas of interest and teaching? How did your interest in these areas begin?
My primary research interest is Applied Microeconomic Theory. However, my work focuses on topics in Industrial Organization, Law and Economics, Development Economics, International Trade and Public Finance/Economics – including (but not limited to) issues related to bargaining, competition and innovation, political economy and informal sector, poverty and inequality, credit market imperfection, and tax claims and sham litigation. I have taught a variety of courses at different kinds of institutions/departments raging from applied economics and statistics to law schools and school of economics to business schools at post graduate as well as undergraduate levels. The courses of Microeconomics, Statistics, Business/Managerial Economics and Law & Economics have been the ones that I enjoy teaching the most.
During B.Com there were one or two Economics courses that we had to take. It was during this time frame that I was intrigued by and attracted towards Economics and hence changed my course and went for M.A. (Econ) and further studies in Economics after completing B.Com. As far as the research interests are concerned, I work with Applied/Economic Theory, primarily Applied Microeconomic Theory. I find theory and the thought process therein to be interesting. At times it seems that there are some similarities between theory making and poetry.
3. What will you be teaching at NLS?
Currently, I am co-teaching Economics-II in the BALLB (Hons) programme. Study of Economics is helpful in smart decision making. Thus, students (or anyone in general) can benefit from it. In the upcoming terms, I shall be teaching across the programmes at NLS.
4. Your thoughts on starting your teaching journey at NLS? What are your plans ahead?
While I have taught at other NLUs (NLUD & NALSAR), School of Economics, XIM University and Business Schools (XLRI, Jamshedpur & DOMS at NALSAR), NLS seems to be slightly different in comparison to other NLUs. I have taken a couple of classes in the BALLB (Hons) programme and the experience has been great – the students are interactive and the engagement is at a satisfactorily different level. I am looking forward to teaching some courses for the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) in due course of time. Looking ahead, I hope to engage in meaningful and enriching classroom interactions and credible research.
5. Could you highlight some of your key projects or publications?
I have publications on various sub–disciplines of Economics such as Microeconomic Theory, Bargaining
Theory, Industrial Organization, Development Economics, International Trade, Poverty and Inequality, Public
Finance/ Economics and Law and Economics.
Recent publications:
- Credit Market Imperfection, Lack of Entrepreneurs and Capital Outflow from a Developing Economy. (2023). (with Sugata Marjit), Review of Development Economics, https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12984.
- Marjit, S.; Mandal, B. and Nakanishi, N.: Virtual Trade and Comparative Advantage: The Fourth Dimension. (2022). Journal of Quantitative Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40953-022-00324-9.
- Cost Structures, Innovation and Welfare in Monopoly. (2022). European Competition Journal, 18:3, 558-566, https://doi.org/10.1080/17441056.2022.2034330.
Publications under review:
- Informality, Strategic Tax Deferment via Sham Litigation and the Tax Rate.
- Optimum Size of the Informal Credit Market – A Political Economy Perspective. (with Sugata Marjit).
- Cost Structures and Innovation.
- Technology Induced Market Structures and Welfare.
- Does an Egalitarian Redistribution of Assets Improve Efficiency? (with Hamid Beladi, Sugata Marjit and Reza Oladi).
To reach out to Dr. Misra, please write to