• Corruption
• Rent-seeking
• Industrial organisation
• Regulation
• Resource economics
• Contest theory

Ayushi recently submitted her PhD thesis for external examination at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai. Her research interests broadly lie at the intersection of development, public and resource economics, with a focus on how corruption and rent-seeking shape socio-economic outcomes. Her doctoral work employs theoretical methods comprising imperfect information games and sequential group contests to examine how corruption distorts policy design across two distinct settings, namely, natural resource extraction and administrative unit reorganisation.

 Prior to her doctoral studies, Ayushi worked as a Risk Management Analyst at American Express. Her current work investigates the impact of India’s land acquisition laws on renewable energy deployment.