Nirvikar Singh

Nirvikar Singh is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), where he has held numerous leadership roles including Co-Director of the Center for Analytical Finance and former Director of the Santa Cruz Center for International Economics. He also served as the Sarbjit Singh Aurora Chair of Sikh and Punjabi Studies (2010–2020) and directed the UCSC South Asian Studies Initiative. His advisory roles include membership in the Finance Minister of India’s G-20 Advisory Group and consultation for the Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Currently, he serves on Punjab’s Expert Group on post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Education: PhD in Economics from UC Berkeley, BSc and MSc (awarded multiple prizes) from the London School of Economics. His research focuses on economic development, political economy, technology and innovation, the Indian economy, Sikh/Punjabi studies, and South Asian migration. He has authored over 100 papers and six books, including Economic Transformation of a Developing Economy: The Experience of Punjab, India and The Other One Percent: Indians in America.

Recent publications (2021–2024) highlight his work on wealth inequality, pandemic impacts on households, Punjab’s economic policies, digital innovation systems, and religion-economics intersections. Awards include the Allyn Young Prize, Gonner Prize, and Ely Devons Prize from LSE.

Professional service includes roles as Co-Director of the Center for Global, International and Regional Studies at UCSC and Special Advisor to the Chancellor. He advises startups in Silicon Valley and India, emphasizing technology-driven growth and policy reforms. His work bridges theoretical economics with applied policy analysis in development, federalism, and South Asian contexts.