Research
Work in Progress
Weathering the Test: Environmental Drivers of College Admissions Test Performance in India
Work in progress — draft available upon request
This study examines the impact of weather and natural disasters on student performance in India’s Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), a high-stakes test for admission to premier engineering institutions. Using a multi-level fixed effects model on combined test performance and weather data for the years 2019–2024, the analysis finds that high humidity on or near exam day significantly reduces performance, while temperature effects are mixed: short-term high temperatures negatively impact outcomes, but long-term exposure improves performance. Natural disasters also have a substantial negative impact, lowering average ranks by 82 positions per standard deviation increase in number of houses damaged. A robustness check using quantile regressions reveals heterogenous impact of weather along the rank distribution. The results are of relevance to national higher education policy.
Journal Articles
Enablers of Successful Fiscal Decentralization: A Case Study of Three Gram Panchayats in Kerala
Sailesh, Parvathy & Ram, Padmini. (2022). “Enablers of Successful Fiscal Decentralization: A Case Study of Three Gram Panchayats in Kerala” Economic and Political Weekly, 57(1), pp 17-24
PDF, Link
Kerala is among the few states in India that have a successful record in fiscal decentralisation. This study qualitatively analyses primary data from three gram panchayats in Kerala to identify six factors that enable successful decentralised fiscal governance through Panchayati Raj: public participation, infrastructure and guidelines for governance, knowledge transfer and capacity building, optimum fiscal autonomy, local networks, and the state government as a facilitator. Based on the findings of the study, we construct a framework to assess the readiness of gram panchayats to carry out successful decentralised fiscal governance.
Featured in the Indian national daily Mathrubhumi View coverage
Essays and Op-Eds
Made in China, Make in India: Bilateral Economic Relations Reimagined Through Industrial Policy
China-India Brief #256 (July 2025), Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
PDF, Link
In the backdrop of global economic and political shake-ups, 2025 marks a decade since the launch of two ambitious industrial policy projects—Made in China 2025 (MIC25) and Make in India (MII). While China’s mixed, yet largely positive, results have drawn international scrutiny, India’s progress has been more gradual and uneven. For much of their history, economic relations between these two Asian giants have been shaped—and often overshadowed—by geopolitical tensions. Today, as the global politico-economic order undergoes transformation, India-China economic relations are poised for a potential revival. In this essay, I argue that MIC25 and MII offer avenues for cooperation, and that the two countries stand to gain from pursuing strategic, selective interdependence rather than complete economic decoupling.
On Drones and Dreamliners: Analysing Dissimilar Outcomes of Made in China 2025 through a comparison of UAV and Passenger Aircraft industries
With Chenling Wan China Focus Blog, UC San Diego (August 2025)
PDF, Link
In the backdrop of global economic and political shake-ups, 2025 marks a decade since the launch of two ambitious industrial policy projects—Made in China 2025 (MIC25) and Make in India (MII). While China’s mixed, yet largely positive, results have drawn international scrutiny, India’s progress has been more gradual and uneven. For much of their history, economic relations between these two Asian giants have been shaped—and often overshadowed—by geopolitical tensions. Today, as the global politico-economic order undergoes transformation, India-China economic relations are poised for a potential revival. In this essay, I argue that MIC25 and MII offer avenues for cooperation, and that the two countries stand to gain from pursuing strategic, selective interdependence rather than complete economic decoupling.
Other Work
Key Drivers of Welfare Project Benefits in Participatory Local Governance
Part of MA Dissertation, IIT Guwahati
PDF
This study aims to explore the key factors that influence the monetary value of benefits that households receive from the welfare projects initiated by Gram Panchayats (local government bodies in rural areas) in Kerala, India. In the state of Kerala, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) at three levels implement annual development plans and select project beneficiaries through a participatory approach. Based on an original cross-sectional dataset built from beneficiary surveys in two Gram Panchayats, I model benefit availability using determinants identified through a literature survey. The findings show that Gram Sabha attendance, household size, ownership of enterprises, credit status, and the gender of the household head significantly influence benefit access.