Kaivan Munshi Appointed Frederick W. Beinecke Professor of Economics at Yale
Yale University has named Kaivan Munshi, a leading researcher in economic development, the Frederick W. Beinecke Professor of Economics. Munshi, part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Economic Growth Center, has over 30 years of experience exploring the impact of community institutions on development, with a special focus on India. His groundbreaking research has demonstrated how social norms and networks shape individual decisions and economic outcomes in developing regions. Munshi’s recent work at Yale examines inter-ethnic dynamics, such as caste interactions in rural India, revealing how status influences women’s labor force participation. Additionally, he investigates pre-modern adaptations to scarcity, shedding light on the link between nutrition and income and diabetes risks in developing nations. Awarded the Infosys Prize in 2016, Munshi’s work has appeared in top journals, and he holds advanced degrees from MIT and UC Berkeley and a B.Tech. from IIT.
