Rosa Abraham
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Development Economics
- Gender Economics
- Informal Employment
- Measurement of Employment and Work
Biography
I am an economist interested in issues relating to India’s labour market. My research focuses on informal work and women’s employment with particular interest in issues at the intersection of labour statistics and women’s work. At the Centre for Sustainable Employment, I have been involved in the State of Working India reports and in the two primary surveys – India Working Survey and Covid-19 Livelihoods Survey, conducted by the Centre. My most recent work looks at the impact of major life events – marriage and childbirth – on women’s employment. Prior to joining the University, I worked as a researcher at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment and prior to that as a Lecturer in Madras School of Economics.
Courses
Labour Economics
Who does work? What kinds of work are there? How does this matter for the economy?
CSE Working Paper Series
What did they say- Respondent identity, question framing and the measurement of employment
Rosa Abraham (2023)Telephone surveys for data collection – some reflections
Rosa Abraham (2023)Tracking workers across generations – a cohort-based analysis
Rosa Abraham (2023)How Comparable are India’s Labour Market Surveys?
Rosa Abraham, Anand Shrivastava (2022)Improving Survey Quality using Para Data- Lessons from the India Working Survey
Rosa Abraham (2021)Down and Out- The Gendered Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on India’s Labour Market
Amit Basole, Rosa Abraham (2021)Tracking Employment Trajectories during the Covid-19 Pandemic- Evidence from Indian Panel Data
Amit Basole, Rosa Abraham (2021)Pandemic, informality, and vulnerability- Impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in India
Amit Basole, Paaritosh Nath, Rosa Abraham (2020)How Comparable are India’s Labour Market Surveys- A comparison of NSS, Labour Bureau and CMIE Estimates
Rosa Abraham, Anand Shrivastava (2019)
Publications
Journal Articles
- Abraham, R., Ameen, H., Basole, A. (2024). Structural transformation and gender earnings gap in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 59(10). https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/10/special-articles/structural-transformation-and-gender-earnings-gap.html
- Sahai, G., Abraham, R., Jha, M., Vira, B. (2023). An Indian she-cession: Disproportionate job and earnings loss for young women in the labour market. EPW Engage, 58(42). https://www.epw.in/engage/article/indian-she-cession-disproportionate-job-and
- Abraham, R., & Shrivastava A. (2022). How comparable are India’s labour market surveys? Indian J Labour Econ, 65(2), 321 – 346. 10.1007/s41027-022 – 00381‑x
- Abraham, R., Basole, A., & Kesar, S. (2021). Down and out: The Gendered Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on India’s Labour Market. Economia Politica. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40888-021 – 00234‑8
- Abraham, R., Lahoti, R. & Swaminathan, H. (2021) Childbirth and women’s labour market transitions in India. WIDER Working Paper 2021⁄128. Helsinki: UNU-WIDER.
- Kesar, S., Abraham R., Lahoti, R., Nath, P., & Basole, A. (2021) Pandemic, informality, and vulnerability: Impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods in India. Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d’études du développement, https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2021.1890003
- Abraham, R. (2019). Informal employment and the structure of wages in India. Review of Income and Wealth, 65(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/roiw.12435
- Abraham, R., & Shrivastava A. (2019). How comparable are India’s labour market surveys? A comparison of NSS, Labour Bureau and CMIE Estimates. CSE Working Paper No 2019-03.
- Abraham, R. 2017. Informality in the Indian Labour Market: An Analysis of Forms and Determinants. Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 60(2), 191 – 215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41027-017‑0096‑x
- Purushothaman, S., Thomas, B.; Abraham, R.,& Dhar, U. (2013). Beyond money metrics: alternative approaches to conceptualizing and assessing ecosystem services. Conservation and Society, 11(4).
- Purushothaman, S. & Abraham, R. (2011). Scaling up and Sustainability: the experience of rural India. Sustainability in Debate, 2(2), 21 – 42.
- Abraham, R. & Kumar K.S.K.,(2008). Multidimensional Poverty and Vulnerability. Economic and Political Weekly, 43(20), 77 – 87.
Reports
- State of Working India 2023: Social Identities and Labour Market Outcomes. Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University. https://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/5166/1/State_of_Working_India_2023_ebook_revised.pdf
- State of Working India 2021: One year of Covid-19. (2021). Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University. https://cse.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SWI2021_Web_25June.pdf
- State of Working India 2019. Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University. https://cse.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/state-of-working-india-2019/
- State of Working India 2018. Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University. https://cse.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/state-of-working-india-2018/
Chapters in Edited Books
- Kesar, S. and Abraham, R. (2023). Religious identity-based inequality in the labour market: Policy challenges in India. In M. Tadros, P. Mader & K. Cheeseman (Eds.), Poverty and Prejudice: Religious Inequality and the Struggle for Sustainable Development. Bristol University Press. https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/poverty-and-prejudice
- Abraham, R., and Jha, M. (2023). The penalty of being young: India’s workers during the pandemic. In Contextualising the Covid Pandemic in India: A Development Perspective (pp 109 – 125). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978 – 981-99 – 4906-9_6
- Abraham, R., & Purushothaman, S. (2013). Reconciling Conservation and Livelihoods in the Forest Fringes: An Introduction. In Livelihood Strategies in Southern India (pp. 1 – 17). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978 – 81-322‑1626-1_1
Newspaper Articles
- Abraham, R., & Narayanan, R. (2024, March 04). A women’s urban employment guarantee act. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a‑womens-urban-employment-guarantee-act/article67910966.ece
- Abraham, R., & Arora, A. (2023, December 20). Why changing structure of women’s employment is worrying. NDTV Profit. https://www.ndtvprofit.com/opinion/why-changing-structure-of-womens-employment-is-worrying
- Abraham, R., & Basole, A. (2023, October 9). Number Theory: The growth and erosion of salaried employment in India. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/number-theory-the-growth-and-erosion-of-salaried-employment-in-india-101696824495073.html
- Jha, M., & Abraham, R. (2021, July 27). Mere growth in a sector doesn’t translate to benefits for workers. Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/covid-economic-crisis-pandemic-sectors-workers-benefits/
- Abraham, R., & Basole, A. (2021, Jul 3). Here’s What We Know About COVID’s Impact On India’s Workers – And What We Can Do About It. The Wire. https://thewire.in/labour/covid-19-india-impact-workers
- Abraham, R., & Basole, A. (2021, Jan 26). Have the labour markets recovered post lockdown? Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/have-the-labour-markets-recovered-postlockdown-101611603270603.html
- Abraham, R., & Basole, A., Kesar, S. (2021, Jan 20). Pandemic Effect: 9 Months on, More Younger Workers Remain Jobless. IndiaSpend. https://www.indiaspend.com/economy/pandemic-effect-9-months-on-more-younger-workers-remain-jobless-716310
Online Article
- Abraham, R., & Basole, A. (2024, January 1). Economic Growth, Structural Change, and Women’s Earnings in India. India in Transition. https://casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/amitbasole-rosaabraham