Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
With 100 papers presented over two days, the Seventh Annual Economics Conference at Ahmedabad University offered insights into some of the most pressing economic challenges of our time. In addition to catalysing conversations, the conference surfaced new research, recognised outstanding scholarship, and connected early career researchers with a wider community of economists and policy thinkers.
In the Microeconomics category, the Best Paper Award was shared by Ravinder . for Foundational Skills and Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from India and Manhar Manchanda for Women at the Top: Downstream Representation Effects of Female Parliamentarians in India. The Macroeconomics award went to Meenakshi Shekhar for Sluggish Growth or Premature Decline? A Comparative Study of Indian Industrialization with China. In Agriculture, Environment, and Resource Economics, Ishita Varma was recognised for Forest Rights, Dietary Diversity, and Nutritional Security of Tribal Communities: Evidence from India.
These recognitions followed two days of wide ranging discussions on how India’s economy is changing and what that means for policy, institutions, and everyday lives. From studies showing how decentralisation can strengthen policy implementation, especially in healthcare delivery and pandemic response, to climate focused research stressing the need for crop specific agricultural strategies; from education research highlighting the importance of foundational literacy and numeracy and addressing gendered learning gaps in mathematics and science, to trade studies analysing policy responses to rising global tariffs, the spectrum of inquiry was both broad and deeply relevant.
With 100 papers presented over two days, the Seventh Annual Economics Conference at Ahmedabad University offered insights into some of the most pressing economic challenges of our time. In addition to catalysing conversations, the conference surfaced new research, recognised outstanding scholarship, and connected early career researchers with a wider community of economists and policy thinkers.
In the Microeconomics category, the Best Paper Award was shared by Ravinder . for Foundational Skills and Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from India and Manhar Manchanda for Women at the Top: Downstream Representation Effects of Female Parliamentarians in India. The Macroeconomics award went to Meenakshi Shekhar for Sluggish Growth or Premature Decline? A Comparative Study of Indian Industrialization with China. In Agriculture, Environment, and Resource Economics, Ishita Varma was recognised for Forest Rights, Dietary Diversity, and Nutritional Security of Tribal Communities: Evidence from India.
These recognitions followed two days of wide ranging discussions on how India’s economy is changing and what that means for policy, institutions, and everyday lives. From studies showing how decentralisation can strengthen policy implementation, especially in healthcare delivery and pandemic response, to climate focused research stressing the need for crop specific agricultural strategies; from education research highlighting the importance of foundational literacy and numeracy and addressing gendered learning gaps in mathematics and science, to trade studies analysing policy responses to rising global tariffs, the spectrum of inquiry was both broad and deeply relevant.
