MA in Economics
To help shape a more inclusive economy
Our programme helps you make sense of complex socio-economic realities with strong technical and economic skills. Our goal is to create sociopolitically aware and quantitatively adept students who engage with the public, private and non-profit sector as well as pursue postgraduate studies to provide contextual solutions for today’s pressing problems.
Who should join us?
Join us if you are looking for a programme that introduces you to the different schools of thought or approaches in Economics. Real world issues are at the forefront of our programme, and course content is grounded in India’s historical and social context.
Our courses in the programme endeavour to develop the theoretical foundation, analytical and quantitative skills, and knowledge of research methods that are necessary to understand India’s complex socio-economic realities. They also introduce you to a variety of schools of thought, and prioritise hands-on and application-based learning.
Why study with us?
- For a clear understanding of the Indian economy, real world institutions and economic development in the Indian context.
- To develop tools of analysis, theory and concepts for practical application to current economic and development issues in the Indian context.
- For a study of courses that help you understand historically grounded schools of thought within economics.
- To experience an innovative pedagogy with problem-based learning, flipped classrooms and collaborative learning with the use of real economics data sets.
- To train in communication for public and academic audiences, skills in problem solving and analysis and conducting independent research.
Programme Structure
Course Structure
These courses will support you in developing the skills and foundation necessary for a thorough understanding of economics, especially from the context of contemporary India and its development. We ensure that you are trained in using your economics knowledge in various contexts.
Our core courses train you in foundational knowledge and skills necessary for understanding economics from the developmental context of contemporary India. The courses cover traditional economic theory and methods, as well as the institutional developmental and ecological concerns we face in India.
Applied Econometrics with Stata
Core
This course introduces students to Stata, which is another widely used statistical software package that is often a requirement for employment.
Communicating Economics
Core
How do you communicate economics in different contexts?
Econometrics of Impact Evaluation
Core
Using statistical tools to build what-if scenarios and estimate causal effects.
Introduction to Research and Qualitative Methods
Core
An introduction to research methods in economics.
Microeconomics: Theory and Applications I
Core
A microeconomic model of a developing economy to understand land, credit, and labour.
Microeconomics: Theory and Applications II
Core
This course focuses on standard models in areas including competition, prices, taxation, and public goods.
Macroeconomics: Theory and Applications I
Core
The principal problems of developing economies with a focus on policy.
Macroeconomics: Theory and Applications II
Core
This course introduces students to the study of macroeconomic dynamics.
Political Economy: Theories of Power
Core
This course introduces students to foundational, theoretical and conceptual tools of Political Economy.
Political Economy of International Development
Core
This course introduces students to various ways in which power has shaped global flows of labour, capital and goods through history.
Statistical Methods with R
Core
The course trains the students in statistical methods using the open-source software R.
Economics of the Environment
Core
This course acquaints students with important environmental economic problems, conveys important theoretical and empirical findings, and provides tools for environmental policy analyses.
Elective courses are offered in the second year and designed for you to extend your foundational knowledge. You can develop domain expertise in particular fields of advanced topics in microeconomics, advanced topics in macroeconomics, governance, gender, health, education, environment, public finance, and data programming.
We also offer you the opportunity to conduct an independent study or engage in real economic analysis outside of the classroom with an internship.
Advanced Macroeconomic Theory
Elective
The course surveys macroeconomic theory and its evolution through the use of rigorous mathematical and logical models.
Advanced Microeconomic Theory
Elective
The course will delve into some selected areas of microeconomic theory where there has been active research in recent years and give students the understanding and the tools to engage with these areas.
Applied Multivariate Statistics
Elective
This course aims to introduce the students to concepts and techniques of summarising, visualising the geometry, and analysing such dependent, multivariate data.
Computational Economics
Elective
This course seeks to develop core competencies in programming in Python and data manipulation and analysis.
Economics of Climate Change
Elective
Understand climate change through an economic lens.
History of Economic Thought (HET)
Elective
Where do current theories of modern economics come from?
Money, Banking and Financial Markets
Elective
This course seeks to prepare students to better understand money, balance sheets and the particular institutions of the financial world.
We relate to the world not only through the intellect but also with our bodies and creative abilities. In this set of courses and workshops, you will explore aesthetic, physical and expressive traditions. You can choose workshops in art, music, theatre, dance and sports or fitness.
All students must choose between a thesis track, that allows you to develop research skills, and an internship track, that allows for practical experience in the development sector.
Thesis
Through the Thesis Track, you can further develop your academic abilities by undertaking an original research project. You will demonstrate knowledge of economic theory, analytical depth of subject area, and quantitative or qualitative empirical skills through a chosen research topic under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Examples of past thesis projects:
- Zaeen de Souza (MA Economics 2019): Can Public Preschools Level the Playing Field?
- Supriya Joshi (MA Economics 2019): Caste, Gender, and Work Status
- Raghav Chakravarthy (MA Economics 2019): Agriculture-Industry Linkages: Determination of Output in an Open Economy
- Thair Ahmed (MA Economics 2020): Relative Prices and the General Price Level: A Study of Keynes and Leontief
- Akshit Arora (MA Economics 2020): Capitalist Accumulation and Crisis: A Comparison of Marx and Luxemburg
Internship
The Master’s Internship carries 6 credits and entails an eight-week engagement, typically with a civil society organisation or government official, to gain practical experience of work in the development sector. In the Internship track, students will be able to put their theoretical and analytical knowledge into practice. Students opting for Master’s Internship track will need to do an additional elective worth 3 credits in their fourth semester. This will ensure that they graduate in the programme with a minimum requirement of 80 credits.
In the first Winter Break, students work in a rural area with ground organisations and are exposed to the lived realities of rural India.This three-week intensive engagement is mandatory for all students, and helps cultivate a deeper understanding of socio-economic challenges that are faced by local communities. It also helps students think about theoretical concepts in real world contexts, and apply qualitative research skills learnt in the first semester.
Field Practice in Economics
Field
A prerequisite course in research methods.
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Faculty
- Abhishek Shaw
- Alex M Thomas
- Anand Kumar
- Amit Basole
- Anand Shrivastava
- Arjun Jayadev
- Arpan Ganguly
- Avinash Mani Tripathi
- Chinmaya Kumar
- Dontha Prashanth
- Garima Agarwal
- Indulekha Guha
- Kade Finnoff
- K C Adaina
- Kartikeya Batra
- Kedar Kulkarni
- Malavika Thirumalai Ananthakrishnan
- Srishti Yadav
- Rahul De
- Rajendran Narayanan
- Rosa Abraham
- Tamoghna Halder
- Zico Dasgupta