Prof. Peter D. Drysdale

Prof. Peter David Drysdale AO, is world’s leading Australian economist and writer. He is Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Sir J. G. Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU). He heads the East Asia Bureau of Economic Research and East Asia Forum at ANU. Widely regarded and recognized as the leading intellectual architect of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). His research areas of interest include Asia Pacific Economic Integration and relations between East Asia, Europe, India, and APEC, International trade and economic policy, Japanese economy and economic policy, Foreign Direct Investment, and East Asia’s and China’s trade and transformation. He has authored numerous books and papers on wide domains across economic policy and international trade. He is the author of prize-winning book, “International Economic Pluralism: Economic Policy in East Asia and the Pacific“. Recipient of the Weary Dunlop Award (1995), Asia Pacific Prize, the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays (3rd Class, 2001) and Neck Ribbon, the Australian Centenary Medal (2003), the Member of the Order of Australia (AO, 1985), and Officer of the Order of Australia (2016).
Currently, he is involved in projects with Productivity Commission (Australian Government), East Asia Forum, Regional Cooperation and Economic Policy in East Asia and South Asia.

I am currently associated with Prof. Peter Drysdale (along with Prof. Shiro Armstrong) working on developing modelling scenarios.

He can reached at peter.drysdale@anu.edu.au

Prof. Shiro P. Armstrong

Prof. Shiro Patrick Armstrong is one of the world’s leading Economics expert on Japanese Economics, Business, and Growth. He is a Professor at the Sir J. G. Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU). He is the Director of Australia-Japan Research Centre (AJRC) and also, the Director and Editor of the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research (EABER). His research areas of interest includes Sino-Japan Economic and Political Relations, East Asia Economic Integration, International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment, and East Asian Economies. He is among the public policymakers and takes great interest in teaching with passion ‘Issues in Japanese Policy (Sem 2 IC)’ at ANU. Dr. Armstrong holds the following positions; Research Associate at the Centre on Japanese Economy and Business at the Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Director, International Partnerships and Education, Sir J. G. Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, Managing Editor, East Asia Bureau of Economic Research (EABER), Guest Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Keio University, Visiting Fellow, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan, Research Associate, New Zealand APEC Study Centre.
He is the co-editor of “Navigating Prosperity and Security in East Asia” (2023, ANU Press) with Tom Westland and Adam Triggs. DOI: http://doi.org/10.22459/NPSEA.2023

I am currently associated with Prof. Shiro Armstrong (along with Prof. Peter Drysdale) working on developing modelling scenarios.

He can reached at shiro.armstrong@anu.edu.au

Mr. Jason Tabarias

Mr. Jason Tabarias is a senior executive with a focus on economic and industry policy, social policy and responsible global business. He provides advice and project-based consulting services, working independently or within your project teams. He was a founding Partner at Mandala, Australia’s fastest growing and most innovative economics and public policy consulting firm.

Prior to that, he has held senior roles in Accenture Economic Insights (formerly AlphaBeta Australia), PwC and Deloitte in Australia and New Zealand. He has provided strategy and economics consulting on some of the most challenging and complex problems facing governments, firms and non-profit organisations.

As a senior public servant, Jason has previously worked at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in Victoria, Australia and at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in New Zealand. ​Jason has led national-level reforms to policy and services systems, and led government-wide innovation and policy quality initiatives. 

Jason is a member of the City of Melbourne’s Economic Advisory Committee, and a Senior Advisor at the Forum of Federations, Ottawa. Jason has a Masters in Professional Economics from Victoria University of Wellington. He was previously an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne and is currently a Research Collaborator at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, Canberra.

He can reached at jason.tabarias@anu.edu.au; jason@tabarias.com

Dr. Sushil Kumar Sen

Dr. Sushil Sen is a renowned Indian administrator, academician, economist and Public Policy Expert. His research areas of interest are Macroeconomics, International Trade, Consumer Protection Rights, and Social Welfare Issues. He has single-authored a book titled “consumer Protection Rights in India: Role of National Forum“, Bookwell, Delhi. He authored more than 150 articles in national and international journals and newspapers.

He recently retired as Academic Programme Officer from the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India (autonomous body of the Government of India). He holds a PhD in Economics, MBA in Human Resource Management, LL.M, LL.B, PG Diploma in HR Management, PG Diploma in Personal Management & Labour Welfare, Diploma in Labour Laws, and Diploma in Journalism.

Dr. Sen is my supervisor of my dissertation titled, “Essay in International Trade“. He has taught me Macroeconomic (MEC102), and Economics of Growth and Development (MEC104) for my postgraduate degree in MA Economics.

He can reached at sushilkumarsen@gmail.com

Dr. Pravakar Sahoo

Dr. Pravakar Sahoo is one of the leading financial macroeconomists in the world representing India. His research areas of interest include Macroeconomics, International Trade and Investment, Development Economics, Infrastructure Development, and Public Finance. His work is accredited with ABDC star rating. A public policymaker and analyst who has been training Indian Economic Service (IES) probationers in macroeconomics and International Economics. He is hardest of the hard workers and sternest of the stern disciplinarians with a vision to contribute towards the new economic heights for his country. His research work is associated with World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ministry of Finance, Japan, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan, MSH, France, and RIIO, China. He has wide international exposure and served as a consultant to several national and international organizations. He has work experience on India, South Asia, Japan, Korea, China, and United States. He is affiliated with Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India. He is currently Senior Advisor at NITI Aayog, Government of India.

I am currently associated with Dr. Pravakar Sahoo working at NITI Aayog.

He can reached at pravakar@iegindia.org

Mr. Ganesh Sivamani

Mr. Ganesh Sivamani, Associate Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress, is one of the leading expert on India’s mining sector and critical minerals in India. His research areas of interest include Social Accounting Matrix, CGE modeling, Macroeconomics, Energy Economics, Climate Change, and Sustainability. He also works in collaboration with other organizations on the matter of Climate Policy. His work can be accessed at GANESH SIVAMANI-CSEP.
He works with Dr. Rajesh Chadha on the Non-Fuel Minerals and Mining in India. This includes working on various issues pertaining to this sector, including he auction process, critical minerals, international good practices, mineral demand projections, and economic linkages of the mining sector, though construction of Input-Output Transaction Tables and Environmentally-extended Social Accounting Matrix. His other research interests include climate change and its mitigation measures, with a focus on renewable energy technologies.
Ganesh holds Master’s of Engineering from University of Cambridge with specialization in Energy, Sustainability, and the Environment.
We had the opportunity to work on India’s Input-Output tables and Social Accounting Matrix.

He can reached at gsivamani@csep.org

Prof. Basanta Kumar Pradhan

Prof. B K Pradhan is one of the leading macroeconomists and CGE Modeler in the world. His research areas of interest include CGE modeling, Macroeconomics, Development Economics, Energy Economics, Climate Change, and Sustainability. His work is accredited with ABDC star rating. A public policymaker and analyst who has taught around the world how to compute Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) through his book jointly with M. R. Saluja and S. K. Singh, 2006, “Social Accounting Matrix for India: Concepts, Construction, and Applications“. He is an epitome of true leadership and mentorship. He was the Head of Development Planning Centre at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India. He has worked at NCAER, Delhi and Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi for more than 32 years. He is currently the Director and Vice-Chancellor at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India. A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) research institute-cum-university.
I worked for Prof. Basanta Kumar Pradhan constructing Input-Output Tables, Social Accounting Matrices, Productivity, KLEMS, and CGE Modeling. I have had the opportunity to assist him on his research work related to climate change and productivity.
Currently, I am associated with him through work collaborations and other associations.

He can reached at director@igidr.ac.in

Dr. Paul Gretton

Dr. Paul Gretton is a Honorary Visiting Fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy and a senior research associate of the Centre of European Studies at the Australian National University. Dr. Paul Gretton is a former Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Productivity Commission where he led the Trade and Economic Studies Branch. He was responsible for trade policy reviews, assessment of the impacts of national economic reforms, productivity reporting and quantitative economic modelling. Paul managed commissioned studies into preferential Rules of Origin; Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements; and the impacts and benefits of national economic reform. Paul has also undertaken research into productivity, land degradation and the Australian agricultural industry, firm size and export performance and the impact of ICTs on economic growth. He was responsible for the preparation of the Commission’s annual Trade & Assistance Review. Paul has worked as an advisor in Pakistan, the Kyrghyz Republic and Ukraine, and represented Australia in forums in the Asia-Pacific and OECD areas.

Dr. Paul Gretton’s area of research interest are in areas of Economic growth, National Economic Reform and Trade Policy. He regularly uses and encourages the use of economy-wide economic modelling to support assessments of key policy.

I am currently associated with Dr. Paul Gretton working on the analyzing key policy measures for India vis-à-vis geopolitical issues around the region.

He can reached at paul.gretton@anu.edu.au

Dr. V. Venkat Ramanan

Dr. V. Venkat Ramanan is one of the leading expert in Climate Change and Sustainable Development in the country. His research areas of interest are Climate Change Studies, Climate-Resilient Agriculture, Climate Policy, Environmental Microbiology, and Biodegradation. He has written and edited books specific to the interaction between global climate change and sustainability.
He is currently Assistant Professor at School of Inter-disciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies (SOITS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, India. He is presently program director for Post Graduate Certificate in Climate Change (PGCCC) and Master of Science in Environmental Science.
Dr. Venkat Ramanan has supervised my Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainability Science (PGDSS) dissertation, “Assessment of Sustainability Indicator and Proficiency in Aviation Sector“.

Recently, We have extended our association to conducting collaborative research work aligning macroeconomics, climate change, and sustainable development.

He can reached at vvramanan@ignou.ac.in

Dr. William Joe

Dr. Joe is one of the leading Health Economist of the country as well as in the world. He is also affiliated as Bernard Lown Scholar, Harvard-Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, USA. His areas of research interests are Health Economics, Demography, Development Economics, and Program Evaluation. He is currently the member of Population Research Centre at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India. Currently, he is involved in research and technical support on maternal and child nutrition in India for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Government of India), NITI Aayog, TATA Trusts, and the UNICEF. He is also engaged in monitoring and evaluation of National Health Mission (NHM).
I worked for Dr. William Joe at UNICEF’s Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) programme as Research Assistant.

He can reached at william@iegindia.org

Dr. Michael Aldous

The man who introduced me to Economics. Dr. Aldous is one of the leading Economic Historians in the world who is interested in the ownership and organization of firms. His research areas of interest are business history, economic history, international business, globalization in the 19th century, CEOs and the firms’ performance, and theory of firms.
His highly influential single-authored research work was lately published in Harvard’s Business Review titled, (2021), “Partners, servants, or entrepreneurs? Banians in the 19th century Bengal economy“. He is a Senior Lecturer who is currently working at Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom.
Dr. Aldous was one of my four pillars during my postgraduation at QUB and still remains at large. While working as his research assistant, he taught me how to be a visionary when it comes to solving significant global and local economic problems. He is an epitome of true leadership and mentorship.

He can reached at M.Aldous@qub.ac.uk and https://www.michaelaldous.com/

Prof. Mukul Shukla

The good Samaritan of my postgraduate life at QUB. Prof. Shukla is one of the leading scientist in the world. His research areas of interest are metal additive manufacturing, polymer composites, FEM, Optimization, CAD, and DOE. During his time at QUB, he was a senior member of Advanced Composite Research Group, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has been a part of many advisory committees both nationally and internationally.
He is a Professor at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India.
Prof. Shukla was one of the four pillars of my postgraduate life at QUB and still remains at large. He was my mentor and life guide at QUB and still remains.

He can reached at mukulshukla@mnnit.ac.in

Prof. M. Satish Kumar

Prof. M. Satish Kumar, FRGS, RCS, FHEA, is world respected Indian Geographer and land economist. He is Professor of Geography at School of Natural Built and Environment, Queen’s University Belfast. His research areas of interest includes Decolonization of South Asia, Postcolonial Studies of India and South Asia, Cultural Heritage and Development, Urban Transformation in India and South Asia. His research has three specific strands. The first strand of research was focused primarily on regional and urban development, issues with a particular focus on sectoral labour market analysis including an evaluation of economic policy impacts across the sector. The second strand of research advanced questions about the impact of climate change on cultural heritage in fragile ecological zones of Assam. The third strand of research is the identification of the historical roots of underdevelopment and the significance of the unfinished project of decolonization in India and globally.

A Fellow of The Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, he established the Young Civic Leaders of NI with his students to promote Youth Leadership in the city in the context of urban development.

Prof. Kumar is the recipient of Belfast Ambassador’s Award for standout contribution to UK-India relations, 2020, The India- European Union Global Peace and Friendship Award, 2001 for promoting international peace and understanding based on the values of Peace, Education and Culture over the past twenty years in the communities in India and the UK, (2003), and Bhoovigyan (Earth Scientist) National Leadership Award by the His Excellency The Late Shri. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Former Vice President of India, for contributions to Population, Environment & Development Studies. India (2002).

Currently, Prof. Kumar is the Dean of Queen’s University Belfast, India Campus (GIFT City, Gujarat). I worked as his research assistant (2017-2020).

He can reached at s.kumar@qub.ac.uk

Dr. Behnam Firoozi Nejad

Dr. Behnam Firoozi Nejad, Ph.D., FHEA, is a globally respected Geo-Data Scientist conducting spatial information analysis using advanced technologies on geographical information systems and remote sensing.

He combines the power of spatial data with a passion for environmental education and storytelling. His work has made tangible impacts through data driven decision making and inspiring the next generations of GIS/RS modelers. He manages and analyses complex spatial datasets transforming raw data into actionable insights. His expertise spans from assessing population variables to conducting advanced 3D and LiDAR data analysis. His competencies in digitization and cartography brings geographical data to life, creating detailed maps and visualizations that highlight critical patterns and trends in environmental and social research. He utilizes satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques to extract and analyze environmental data offering a comprehensive view of the Earth’s changing landscapes. He has extensive experience with GPS and field data collection ensuring the accuracy for impact analysis.

Dr. Nejad has been instrumental managing COVID-19 in United Kingdom and Northern Ireland working with decision makers at Public Health Agencies and Department of Health (DoH) allowing him in enhancing educational outcomes. His work in human geography allows him to explore spatial dynamics of populations and contributing to a deeper understanding of social and environmental challenges through SDG indicators.

Currently, Prof. Nejad is a Lecturer and a member of Centre of GIS and Geomatics at  School of Natural Built and Environment, Queen’s University Belfast. I was associated with Dr. Behnam Firoozi Nejad working on the project “Interaction of Multilayer Thin-Films with Geographical Information Systems Enhancing the Applicability of the Technique“.

He can be reached at b.firoozinejad@qub.ac.uk

IN MEMORIAM: DALE W. JORGENSON, 7 MAY 1933 – 8 JUNE 2022

Prof. Dale W. Jorgenson, Samuel W. Morris University Professor, Emeritus, 1933-2022

I am saddened by the passing away of Dale W. Jorgenson, Samuel W. Morris University Research Professor, Emeritus, Harvard University.
Prof. Jorgenson was astronomical among economists. His groundbreaking research work in Information Technology and Economic Growth, Energy and Environment, Tax Policy and Investment Behaviour, and Applied Econometrics, must’ve earned him at least few nominations for the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences surely. He was awarded the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal by the American Economic Association in 1971, and served as the President of the Association in 2000. He was honoured with nine honorary doctorates and memberships of many prestigious academic bodies and organizations.
For past two years, I have been studying his work extensively and was looking forward to working with him directly through Late. Prof. Deb Kusum Das, Ramjas College, University of Delhi, India.
Prof. Jorgenson was loved by everyone and he will be greatly missed.

Image © The President and Fellows of Harvard University.