Tariq Thachil

Tariq Thachil is Professor of Political Science and Madan Lal Sobti Professor for Contemporary India at University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Center for Advanced Study of India. His research examines political parties, urbanization, identity politics, and governance in India.

Core research themes:

• Urban migrant political integration
• Brokerage systems in informal settlements
• Ethnic politics and welfare distribution
• Hindu nationalism's electoral strategies

Recent publications include award-winning book 'Migrants and Machine Politics' (2023), analyzing how poor migrants navigate urban politics through local brokers. Fieldwork-based studies reveal how slum leaders build reputations through responsive governance across ethnic lines. Pandemic research documented COVID-19 impacts on informal settlements.

Methodological innovations combine ethnography, surveys, and experiments to study political behavior. Current projects examine environmental politics and governance in India's understudied small towns.