Ashutosh Thakur

Ashutosh Thakur is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, where he has been employed since August 2021. His academic journey includes a PhD in Business Administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business (2021), preceded by a postdoctoral fellowship at ECONTribute: Markets & Public Policy at the University of Cologne.

His educational background features an A.B. in Economics with Highest Honors from Princeton University (2010-2014), establishing a strong foundation for his current research pursuits.

Thakur's research interests center on applying market design tools to political economy, with particular focus on institutional stability and organizational productivity. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications in public administration and development contexts. Through his research, he explores how matching theory can be leveraged to improve bureaucratic performance and institutional design.

His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on matching theory applications, with a progression from theoretical foundations to practical implementations in civil service and political institutions. The research shows increasing sophistication in addressing real-world constraints within matching frameworks, particularly in contexts with political economy considerations.

• Best Paper Presentation Award at 5th International Workshop on Matching Under Preferences: Match-Up 2019
• 2018 McKinnon Fellowship Recipient (Stanford Center on Global Poverty and Development)

Thakur's work has attracted attention from prominent scholars in the field, including recognition on Alvin Roth's market design blog. His research has practical implications for public administration reform, particularly in developing contexts where bureaucratic quality significantly impacts development outcomes. His work on civil service matching has been referenced in World Bank discussions on governance quality.

While specific laboratory affiliations aren't detailed in the available information, his research appears to be conducted within the theoretical and empirical frameworks of market design, utilizing both analytical models and empirical analysis of civil service data.