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SIPA Faculty
Swati Desai
International Affairs Building, Room 1317
Associate Professor of Professional Practice
Phone: 212-854-3357
sd600@columbia.edu
Biography:
Swati Desai is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice, teaching public and nonprofit management, and performance management.
Desai previously served in a variety of positions with the City of New York's Human Resources Administration (HRA); most recently as Executive Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Evaluation and Research, which provides cash assistance, food stamps and Medicaid to residents.
Desai is an expert in the field of performance measurement. During her tenure at HRA, she was instrumental in developing performance measurement systems, such as JOBSTAT and VendorStat, which allowed the agency to measure the performance of welfare, medical assistance, HIV/AIDS services, employment contractors, and home care contractors. Desai assisted the South African government in designing its performance measurement systems, and presented the concept to the governments of Great Britain, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
Desai holds a BA from St. Xavier's College in Ahmedabad, India, an MA from Bombay University in Bombay, India, an MA from the State University of New York in Albany, and a PhD in Economics from the City University of New York. She has previously taught at Fordham University, New York University and Long Island University. Desai is a founding member of New York Women Economists, a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Welfare Research and Statistics, and is a member of the Policy Council of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Research Interests: Performance Management, Health and Labor Economics, Management Analysis