Sayahnika Basu

Sayahnika Basu is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at James Madison University (JMU), affiliated with the College of Business. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Arizona State University (2021), an M.A. from Jadavpur University (2015), and a B.S. from St. Xavier's College (2013). Prior to JMU, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and remains an external faculty affiliate at UCSD’s 21st Century India Center. Her research focuses on environment and natural resource economics, development economics, urban economics, and applied microeconomics, with a particular emphasis on climate change impacts, environmental justice, and agricultural resilience in developing economies.

Her academic contributions address critical questions such as how environmental policies influence economic outcomes, the socioeconomic effects of climate disasters like droughts, and gendered labor dynamics in resource-dependent regions. She co-organizes a virtual junior scholar seminar on the Indian Economy, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on South Asian economic challenges.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Economics, Arizona State University, 2021
  • M.A., Economics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India, 2015
  • B.S., Economics, St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, India, 2013
• Awards:
  • Teaching Excellence Award, ASU Graduate & Professional Student Association (2019)
• Professional Activities:
  • External Faculty Affiliate, 21st Century India Center, UC San Diego
  • Virtual Junior Scholar Seminar Co-Organizer (Indian Economy)

Her work integrates empirical methods to analyze policy interventions and their equity implications, with a focus on marginalized populations. She has contributed to understanding how environmental degradation exacerbates economic disparities and shapes household decision-making in agrarian and urban settings.