I am a political scientist and Associate Professor of International Business at Saïd Business School and Research Fellow at Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford.

I teach courses in international business, political economy, global strategy and business in emerging markets. I am a Faculty Associate of the Department of Politics and International Relations and the South Asian Studies program at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies.

I specialize in the comparative political economy of development, with a regional focus on South Asia. My research interests cover the topics of governance, bureaucracy, public service delivery, education, social policy, policing, gender and security, and state-society relations. I also have an interest in qualitative and mixed-methods research.

My book, Making Bureaucracy Work: Norms, Education and Public Service Delivery in Rural India (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Studies in the Comparative Politics of Education), investigates when and how public bureaucracies effectively implement primary education for the least advantaged. Based on comparative field research in northern India, the study advances a theoretical argument highlighting the significance of bureaucratic norms, informal rules that guide how public officials behave and relate with marginalized citizens. The findings contribute to our understanding of state capacity and bureaucracy’s role in promoting inclusive development.

I have conducted extensive fieldwork across India (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi). My research has been supported by the M.I.T. Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the World Bank, the Oxford Research England Global Challenges Research Fund, the American Institute for Indian Studies, and the NSEP David L. Boren Fellowship.

Prior to joining Oxford, I was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School, where I taught in the Business, Government and International Economy Unit. I hold a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.Sc. in Management Research (with Distinction) from the University of Oxford, as well as a B.S. in Finance and B.A. in Philosophy (summa cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania.

My hobbies include martial arts, tabla and photography. I enjoy music of many stripes, especially Hindustani classical sangeet, jazz, qawwali and hip-hop.

You can download my CV here