Dipa Sinha

Areas of Interest & Expertise

  • Development economics
  • Feminist economics
  • Social policy in India
  • Food security and nutrition
  • Health policy and finance
  • Growth, distribution and employment
  • Regional development and disparities in India

Biography

Dipa is a development economist interested in issues related to economic and social policy in India. She has an MA and PhD in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and MSc in Development Studies from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London. Her areas of expertise include social policy, food and nutrition rights, public health and gender. She has taught at Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) for almost ten years. 

Dipa has worked on several field studies evaluating programmes such as the Public Distribution System, child-related nutrition programmes and maternity entitlement schemes. Earlier, she worked with the Office of Commissioners to the Supreme Court (on the Right to Food) as senior researcher and later, as an adviser. In this capacity, she has engaged with state and union governments on the design and evaluation of various welfare schemes. She is also part of civil society networks such as the Right to Food Campaign India.

She also has been part of large multi-country research teams such as the Palanpur Longitudinal Village Studies (London School of Economics) and ​‘Food Riots and Food Rights’ (Institute for Development Studies, Sussex). She was a member of the report on Nutrition and Food Systems of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), FAO. She has been the Health and Population Innovation Fellow of the Population Council (earlier known as McArthur Foundation’s Fund for Leadership Development).

Dipa contributes regularly to academic as well as popular publications. Her monograph, Women, Health and Public Services in India: Why are States Different? has been published by Routledge (Taylor and Francis) India. She was awarded the Elizabeth Adiseshaiah Citation for contribution to the field of Development Studies in 2023.

Publications

Books

  • Sinha, D. (2016). Women, health and public services in India: Why are states different? Routledge.
  • Azad, R., Chakraborty, S., Ramani, S., & Sinha, D. (Eds.). (2019). Quantum leap in the wrong direction? Orient Blackswan.
  • Damodaran, S., Gupta, S., Mitra, S., & Sinha, D. (Eds.). (2024). Development, transformations and the human condition: Essays in honor of Jayati Ghosh. Routledge.

Journal articles

  • Prasad, V., Sinha, D., & Joseph, R. J. (2024). Global relevance of MGRS growth standards: The case of India. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 8, e002472. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​1​3​6​/​b​m​j​p​o​-2023 – 002472
  • Rajeev, A., & Sinha, D. (2024). Elucidating the women’s work continuum in India using time-use data. Area Development and Policy, 9(2). https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​8​0​/​2​3​7​9​2​9​4​9​.​2​0​2​3​.​2​2​70044
  • Satwik, R., Sinha, D., & Tiwari, B. (2024). Prevalence of poor body image and its correlation with self-esteem & depression in middle-aged women. Climacteric. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​8​0​/​1​3​6​9​7​1​3​7​.​2​0​2​3​.​2​2​97876
  • Sinha, D. (2022). Interrogating progress in addressing malnutrition in India. Social Scientist, 50(9 – 10), 59 – 81.
  • Sinha, D. (2022). MGNREGA: Towards realising the constitutional objective of work for all. IIC Quarterly, 48(3 – 4), 104 – 117.
  • Sinha, D. (2020). Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana – A socio-economic perspective. Current Medicine Research and Practice, 10(4), 183 – 185.
  • Mitra, S., & Sinha, D. (2021). COVID-19 and women’s labour crisis. Economic and Political Weekly, 56(17), 45.
  • Sinha, D. (2021). Hunger and food security in the times of COVID-19. Journal of Social and Economic Development. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​0​7​/​s​4​0​8​4​7-020 – 00124‑y
  • Sinha, D., & Azad, R. (2018). Can Jan Dhan Yojana achieve financial inclusion? Economic and Political Weekly, 53(13), 165 – 171.
  • Joshi, A., Sinha, D., & Patnaik, B. (2016). Credibility and portability? Lessons from CORE PDS reforms in Chhattisgarh. Economic and Political Weekly, 51(37).
  • Sinha, D., Nehra, S., Khanuja, J., Matharu, S., & Falcao, V. L. (2016). Realising universal maternity entitlements: Lessons from Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana. Economic and Political Weekly, 51(34).
  • Sinha, D. (2015). Cash for food – A misplaced idea. Economic and Political Weekly, 50(16).
  • Prasad, V., & Sinha, D. (2015). Potentials, experiences and outcomes of a comprehensive community-based programme to address malnutrition in tribal India. International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 4, 151 – 162.
  • Sinha, D. (2008). Social audit of mid-day meal scheme in AP. Economic and Political Weekly.
  • Sinha, D. (2006). Rethinking ICDS: A rights-based perspective. Economic and Political Weekly, 41(34).

Chapters in edited books

  • Sinha, D. (2023). Delhi’s precarious citizens. In P. Philipose (Ed.), A boundless fear gripped me: How the other half lived in the pandemic’s shadow. Yoda Press.
  • Sinha, D. (2023). Impact of Covid-19, lockdowns and economic slowdown on food and nutrition security in India. In A. Fazli & A. Kundu (Eds.), Reimagining prosperity: Social and economic development in post-Covid India. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Sinha, D. (2022). Hunger and malnutrition amongst Adivasis. In M. Shah, P. S. Vijayshankar, & B. Rural (Eds.), Tribal development report: Human development and governance. Taylor & Francis / Routledge India.
  • Sinha, D. (2022). Unpacking sectoral trends in female employment in India. In E. Samantroy & S. Nandi (Eds.), Gender, unpaid work and care in India. Routledge.
  • Rai, A., Majumder, S., & Sinha, D. (2020). The right to education and health: Is the State giving up? In N. Dey, A. Roy, & R. Swamy (Eds.), We the people: Establishing rights and deepening democracy. Penguin Random House India.
  • Sinha, D., Mander, H., & Shrimali, P. (2019). Food, nutrition and exclusion. In Centre for Equity Studies (Ed.), India exclusion report 2018 – 19. Three Essays Collective.
  • Sinha, D. (2018). Financial inclusion. In Centre for Equity Studies (Ed.), India exclusion report 2017 – 18. Yoda Press.
  • Sinha, D., & Bhattacharya, R. (2018). Women: Possibilities and constraints. In Himanshu, P. Lanjouw, & N. Stern (Eds.), How lives change: Palanpur, India, and development economics. Oxford University Press.
  • Himanshu, & Sinha, D. (2018). Society and politics: Inertia and change. In Himanshu, P. Lanjouw, & N. Stern (Eds.), How lives change: Palanpur, India, and development economics. Oxford University Press.
  • Joshi, A., Patnaik, B., & Sinha, D. (2017). Demanding accountability for hunger in India. In N. Hossain & P. Scott-Villiers (Eds.), Food riots, food rights and the politics of provisions. Routledge.
  • Sinha, D., Tiwari, D., Bhattacharya, R., & Kattumuri, R. (2016). Public services, social relations, politics and gender: Tales from a North Indian village. In Himanshu, G. Rodgers, & P. Jha (Eds.), Longitudinal research in village India: Methods and findings. Oxford University Press.
  • Patnaik, B., & Sinha, D. (2016). From the files to the fields: The story of public procurement in Chhattisgarh. In S. Desai, L. Haddad, D. Chopra, & A. Thorat (Eds.), Undernutrition in India and public policy: Investing in the future. Routledge.
  • Prasad, V., & Sinha, D. (2015). The reluctant State: Lacunae in current child health and nutrition policies and programmes in India. In I. Qadeer (Ed.), Social development report 2014. Oxford University Press.
  • Sinha, D. (2015). National Food Security Act: Implementation challenges. In C. S. Reddy (Ed.), Food security and food production: Institutional challenges in governance domain. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Dasgupta, R., Sinha, D., Murugan, G., & Nundy, M. (2014). ANMs: Are the skills and capacities adequate? In S. Sharma & W. Joe (Eds.), National Rural Health Mission: An unfinished agenda. Bookwell India.

Working papers and reports

  • Sinha, D., Gupta, M., & Shriyan, D. (2021). Overworked and underpaid: Frontline women workers in health and nutrition in India (State of Working India 2021 Background Paper No. 5). Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University.
  • Sinha, D., Ghosh, J., Gupta, V., & Gupta, M. (2020). Generating female employment through public employment: A scoping paper (Working Paper). IWWAGE, ERF, & LEAD.
  • Sinha, D., Kapoor, A., & Meena, G. (2016). Progress of children under six: A report on implementation of ICDS in six states. Centre for Equity Studies.
  • Sinha, D., & Sengupta, S. (2015). Maternity rights and child care (Background paper for National Workshop on Women’s Unpaid Work: Developing a Roadmap, 16 – 17 April).
  • Sinha, D., Nehra, S., Khanuja, J., Matharu, S., & Falcao, V. L. (2015). Study of the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojna: To enhance inclusion and preparedness to implement provisions under the NFSA. Centre for Equity Studies.
  • Joshi, A., Sinha, D., & Patnaik, B. (2015). PDS ​“to go”? ​“Portability” of rights through real-time monitoring: The centralised online real-time electronic PDS in Chhattisgarh, India (Evidence Report No. 133). Institute of Development Studies.
  • Sinha, D., Patnaik, B., Raaj, V., Bhattacharya, S., & Joshi, A. (2014). Popular actions, state reactions: The moral and political economy of food in India (Food Riots and Food Rights project report). Institute of Development Studies.
  • Hossain, N., Brito, L., Jahan, F., Joshi, A., Nyamu-Musembi, C., Patnaik, B., Sambo, M., Shankland, A., Scott-Villiers, P., Sinha, D., Kalita, D., & Benequista, N. (2014). ​‘Them belly full (but we hungry)’: Food rights struggles in Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Mozambique (Synthesis report). Institute of Development Studies.
  • Sinha, D. (2014). Demanding a comprehensive food security legislation. In S. Ghatak (Ed.), Access to food (eSSays). Iris Knowledge Foundation & eSocialSciences.
  • Sinha, D. (2013). Food security for all. In M. Moddie (Ed.), The world we want: Looking beyond 2015, voices from India. Wada Na Todo Abhiyan.
  • Sinha, D. (2012). Why the NFSA will not ensure nutrition security (Policy Brief Series No. 15). Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy.
  • Sinha, D. (2011). Nutrition status in Palanpur (Asia Research Centre Working Paper No. 51). London School of Economics and Political Science.
  • Sinha, D. (2011). The invisible half: Women’s status in Palanpur (Asia Research Centre Working Paper No. 50). London School of Economics and Political Science.
  • Sinha, D. (2007). Empowering communities to make pregnancy safer: An intervention in rural Andhra Pradesh (Working Paper No. 5). Population Council.