Rahul De
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Political Economy of India
- Informal Labor
- Marxian Political Economy
- Capitalism and Crisis
- Political Economy of Mass Media
- Economics of Sports
- Economics of Digital Media
Biography
Rahul received his PhD in Economics from the University of Hyderabad. His PhD thesis studies the history of capitalist development in India since independence.
Having grown up in the nineties, Rahul experienced some of the drastic transformations that the Indian economy went through post liberalisation in 1991, which include the introduction of private television channels, internet, cell phones and malls. Life in the 1990s was vastly different from everyday life for his parents’ generation in the 1960s and 1970s.
Rahul’s research is oriented towards understanding how these changes came about and what are its socio-political-economic consequences.
He has recently published a paper in Economic and Political Weekly tracing the role of private media in shaping economic policies in India.
He is also interested in applying economic theory to areas not traditionally considered as part of the discipline. He is currently working on understanding the economics of the Indian Premier League.
Having done his education in Economics from Delhi (BA) and University of Hyderabad (MA), he found his classroom education insufficient to understand contemporary India. This motivated him to become a teacher to ensure that students gain a more wholesome understanding of economic theory and how it can be used to understand the world around them.
Rahul has played basketball and cricket at the university level and is actively involved in coordinating the sports programme at the school of liberal studies.
Courses
Economics and Ethics
How do economists tackle open-ended questions about welfare, equality, justice and freedom?
Indian Economy
Multiple perspectives on the Indian economy.
Survey of World Economic History
Why were a handful of European countries able to impose themselves on the rest of the globe and what have the consequences been?
Introduction to Economics I
Understand "real-world" problems through key economic concepts.
Publications
Book
- De, R. (Forthcoming). Economic Policy in India: A History of Crisis, Contestation and Consensus.
Chapter in Edited Book
- De, R., & D Cruz, A. (2023). The changing business of football: The impact of the lockdown on the English Premier League. In B. Basu, M. Desbordes, & S.Sarkar (Eds), Sports Management in an Uncertain Environment. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9789811970092
Journal Articles
- De, R. (2019). Making economics more accessible. Book review of economics of real life: A new exposition by C.T. Kurien. Economic and Political Weekly, 54(21), 249. https://www.epw.in/journal/2019/21/book-reviews/making-economics-more-accessible.html
- De, R. (2018). What does CORE’s The Economy offer students and teachers? Economic and Political Weekly, 53(31). https://www.epw.in/journal/2018/31/discussion/what-does-cores-economy-offer-students.html
- De, R., & Thomas, A. (2018). Rethinking undergraduate Economics education. Economic and Political Weekly, 53(3). https://www.epw.in/journal/2018/3/commentary/rethinking-undergraduate-economics-education.html
- De, R. (2017). India’s liberalisation and newspapers: Public discourse around reforms. Economic & Political Weekly, 52(27), 48 — 54. https://www.epw.in/journal/2017/27/perspectives/indias-liberalisation-and-newspapers.html
- De, R. (2017). Cities, slums and gender in the global south: Towards a feminised urban future by Sylvia Chant and Cathy Mcilwaine, Routledge, 2016, pages 299. Decision, 44(2), 161 — 163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40622-017‑0150‑z
- Vakulabharanam, V., & De, R. (2016). Growth and distribution regimes in India after Independence. The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 105(6), 1 — 20. https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2016.1246860
- De, R. (2013). ‘If the US sneezes, India need not catch a cold’: Representations of the 2008 global financial crisis in Indian print media. Journal of Creative Communications, SAGE. 7(1 — 2), 101 — 120. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0973258613501061
Report
- Mechanisms of surplus appropriation in the informal sector: A case study of tribal migrants in Ahmedabad’s construction industry. (2020). Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University. https://cse.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/mechanisms-of-surplus-appropriation-in-the-informal-sector-a-case-study-of-tribal-migrants-in-ahmedabads-construction-industry/
Book Review
- De, R. (2018). Ronojoy Sen, Nation at play: A history of sport in India. South Asia Research, 38(3), 347 — 358. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0262728018798961
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
- De, R. (2016, June 6). Paper plane factory. Teacher Plus. https://www.teacherplus.org/paper-plane-factory/
- De, R. (2016, April 14). Studying economics in India. Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/content/540282/studying-economics-india.html
Online Articles
- De, R. (2016, May 25). Should surge pricing be regulated? The Dialogue. https://www.academia.edu/26182769/SHOULD_SURGE_PRICING_BE_REGULATED
- De, R. (2016, May 25). The landscape of higher education in India. The Dialogue. https://www.academia.edu/45464307/THE_LANDSCAPE_OF_HIGHER_EDUCATION_IN_INDIA
Working Paper
- Exploitative Informal Labour Process in India: A Conceptualisation (2017). Azim Premji University Working Paper No. 7. https://www.academia.edu/34264569/Exploitative_Informal_Labour_Process_in_India_A_Conceptualisation
Other writing
- De, R. Modules for UGC E‑pathshala (online learning) cultural studies course on understanding the ‘packaging’ of sporting cultures in age of television and development of concepts of ideology/hegemony in 20th century western cultural theories.