Arvind Panagariya
Jagdish N. Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy
Personal Details
Focus areas: International trade policy, economic development, economic reforms with focus on India
On Leave in AY26
Arvind Panagariya is Professor of Economics and the Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy at Columbia University.
From January 2015 to August 2017, he served as the first Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog, Government of India in the rank of a Cabinet Minister. During these years, he also served as India’s G20 Sherpa and led the Indian teams that negotiated the G20 Communiqués during presidencies of Turkey (2015), China (2016) and Germany (2017).
Professor Panagariya is a former Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank and was on the faculty of the Department of Economics at the University of Maryland at College Park from 1978 to 2003. During these years, he also worked with the World Bank, IMF and UNCTAD in various capacities. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from Princeton University.
Professor Panagariya has authored more than fifteen books. His book India: The Emerging Giant (2008, OUP, New York) was listed as a top pick of 2008 by The Economist and described as the “definitive book on the Indian economy” by Fareed Zakaria of the CNN. The Economist has described his book, Why Growth Matters, (with Jagdish Bhagwati) as “a manifesto for policymakers and analysts.”
Scientific papers by Professor Panagariya have appeared in the top economics journals such as the American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies and International Economic Review while policy papers by him have appeared in the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy. He writes a monthly column in the Times of India and his guest columns have appeared in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and India Today.
In March 2012, the Government of India honored Professor Panagariya with Padma Bhusan, the third highest civilian honors the country bestows in any field.
Education
- PhD in Economics, Princeton University
- BA, Rajasthan University
Honors and Awards
- Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, 2015-2017
Research And Publications
In The Media
How many ministries is too many for a government to function? Arvind Panagariya says India's 53 ministries may be a bit much.
Higher education revolution: The following set of reforms would make Indian universities world class
Aravind Panagariya writes about complexity of implementing National Education Policy's recommendations and proposes simpler and more flexible reforms for regulatory and institutional overhaul of the Indian higher education system
Special EXPORT Zones: Build China-like hotspots near sea to boost employment, says Arvind Panagariya
India should look to China's Shenzhen and other coastal cities, Arvind Panagariya said. Building more seaports would allow India to boost the environment through special economic zones (SEZ).
Now that India's healthcare system is more private-sector driven, Arvind Panagariya says the biggest problem is finding doctors to fill public positions in rural areas.
This is a budget that, despite the temptation and a good enough excuse, doesn’t stray from the Modi government’s agenda to maintain fiscal discipline, says Arvind Panagariya.