The first edition of AGW was held in 2006. Ever since, this interdisciplinary workshop has played a major role in nurturing young researchers who engage critically with issues related to economic development, globalisation and poverty. It seeks to identify the complex interactions that influence well-being, development and growth.

Given the enormous challenges facing the global and Indian economy and the need for a great variety of initiatives at multiple levels to resolve them, the first step is to build a new generation of scholars and practitioners that understand and engage with these issues. 

To that end, over the years this workshop has created a space for an interdisciplinary group of scholars at the advanced stages of their PhD dissertations from all over the world to collaboratively engage in these issues with each other and with leading academics and practitioners.

Joseph Stiglitz, Akbar Noman, Jayati Ghosh, Branko Milanovic, Rohini Somanathan, Samuel Bowles, Satish Deshpande, Karla Hoff, Antara Halder, Prabhat Patnaik, Léonce Ndikumana, Natalie Quinn, Diane Elson, Ravi Kanbur, Rajiv Sethi, Wendy Carlin, Reetika Khera, Sanjay Reddy, Harini Nagendra, Kaushik Basu and several other leading social scientists from across the world have graced AGW over the last 15 years.

The workshop typically has two distinct parts. Firstly, a series of lectures given by leading scholars and practitioners will deal with a range of economic, political and social issues pertaining to development, poverty and globalisation. 

Secondly, students will refine their research and presentation skills within assigned small groups under the guidance of faculty leaders in preparation for a culminating workshop-wide presentation of their research. 

The graduate student participants are central to the success of AGW. Students from 30+ institutions spread across more than 12 countries have participated in various editions of AGW. 

Most of these students have joined the academic world and are actively contributing to discourses of development. The group leaders, who are typically early career academics and lead the smaller groups of graduate students during the 14-day workshop, also play a critical role in guiding the participants, both in terms of their research as well as presentations.

We have invariably succeeded in making these small groups supportive and friendly environments in which students feel comfortable to discuss and provide feedback on each other’s work.