Public Policy Researcher
A
researcher between the village and the policy table.
Public Policy Researcher & Development Professional
Evidence-led work on inclusive development, women's economic agency and the measurement practices that decide what counts as impact.
- 2,509+
- Self-Help Groups studied
- 28,000+
- Women covered
- 1,500+
- Survey respondents
Biography
A practice built between the field and the policy table.
I work at the intersection of social work practice and public policy research. Over the last decade my work has moved between village-level implementation and the evaluation frameworks that decide whether such implementation is judged a success.
My research concentrates on inclusive development: how women's collectives alter household bargaining power, how corporate and public spending reaches — or fails to reach — underserved districts, and how impact is measured in ways that do justice to slow institutional change.
I use mixed methods by conviction rather than convenience. Numbers establish scale; sustained conversation establishes meaning. Neither is sufficient alone.
Evidence is only useful when it survives contact with the people it describes.
Academic Journey
2024 — Present
NBRF Research Fellowship
Doctoral-level research on inclusive development, women's economic agency and measurement practice.
2019
UGC-NET Qualified — Social Work
National eligibility qualification, formalising the transition to full-time research.
2017 — 2019
Master of Social Work
Specialisation in community development, with a dissertation on women's collectives and household bargaining.
2014 — 2017
Bachelor of Social Work
Foundational training in community organisation, casework and rural field practicum.
Professional Journey
2024 — Present
Independent Researcher & Policy Advisor
Advising funders and state agencies on evaluation design, measurement frameworks and evidence use.
2022 — 2024
Research & Evaluation Lead
Led impact assessments and monitoring systems for CSR-funded and state-supported programmes.
2019 — 2022
Development Practitioner
Field-based work with rural livelihood and women's collectivisation programmes across central India.
Research Focus
8 threads, one question.
How does development spending actually change the lives of the people it is meant to serve — and how would we know?
Research Impact
Work measured at scale.
Cumulative reach across evaluations, surveys and programme support engagements.
0+
Self-Help Groups studied
0+
Women covered
0+
Survey respondents
0%
Income improvement
0%
Women's participation in decisions
Outcome indicators — endline vs. baseline
- Savings behaviour86%
- Enterprise survival64%
- Household decision-making80%
- Income improvement71%
- School continuation58%
Reading the numbers
Decision-making participation moves earlier and more evenly than income. Where an income endline reports 71%, the agency instrument had already recorded 80% — eighteen months before the money became visible in the household ledger.
Projects
Research in progress, and research concluded.
2024 — Present
OngoingLongitudinal Study of Women's Economic Agency
A five-year panel following 1,500 households across two states, tracking the divergence between agency and income effects.
2023 — 2024
CompletedImpact Assessment of a Multi-District Livelihood Programme
Mixed-methods evaluation of 2,509 self-help groups, covering savings behaviour, enterprise survival and federation linkage.
2022 — 2023
CompletedCSR Expenditure Mapping Across Aspirational Districts
Geographic analysis of mandated corporate spending against composite district development indicators.
2027
FutureBlock-Level Administrative Capacity Study
An ethnographic and quantitative account of how frontline administrative units ration official attention.
Contact
For research collaboration, evaluation work or speaking.
I read every message. Responses usually take two to three working days.
Arrah, Bihar, India
Newsletter
Occasional notes on new research, field work and policy writing. Once a month at most.
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