I am a development economist and social scientist whose work combines rigorous empirical analysis with ethnographic depth. From women’s self-help groups in Bihar, India to heavily armed “garrison communities” in Kingston, Jamaica, I have studied how ordinary people are heard—or ignored—by the institutions that govern their lives. My research focuses on culture, power, narrative, institutions, and the lived experience of poverty.
I am the Roberta Buffett Distinguished Practitioner-Scholar in Residence at Northwestern University. My latest book is Revolution by Stealth: How Women’s Groups Catalyzed A Cultural Transformation in Bihar (with Shruti Majumdar and Paromita Sanyal), Cambridge University Press, 2026.
You can reach me here: bijuraowork at gmail dot com
Policy for the People – Farewell Public Lecture at the World Bank
Discussion on Oral Democracy – Bangalore Literature Festival
