I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Johannesburg. My research sits at the intersection of behavioural economics, health economics, and consumer behaviour on digital platforms.
I study how individuals make decisions under constraints, examining health insurance design and pharmaceutical expenditure on one side, and consumer responses to personalised pricing and dishonesty in digital markets on the other. My work uses a mix of experimental, survey-based, and quasi-experimental approaches.
I have been Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator on two completed J-PAL South Asia-funded projects, on disease risk mapping in Kerala and on behavioural dietary interventions for pregnant women in Karnataka.
In health economics, I examine the causal effects of publicly financed insurance on out-of-pocket pharmaceutical expenditure among near-poor and missing-middle households. The focus is on households that typically fall outside both public targeting and private insurance coverage, and whether pharmaceutical coverage expansion reduces their financial exposure to health shocks.
A second strand covers consumer behaviour on digital platforms: how personalised and algorithmic pricing strategies shape purchase decisions and fairness perceptions, and how dishonesty operates in platform markets, including the moral frameworks underlying incentivised fake reviews. This work spans experimental and survey-based methods across India, Malaysia, and Eastern Europe.
On the experimental side, I use field trials and discrete choice experiments to study nudges and choice architecture in maternal nutrition and public health. I have led and co-led two completed J-PAL South Asia-funded projects on disease risk mapping in Kerala and behavioural dietary interventions for pregnant women in Karnataka.
Behavioural nudges and maternal diet: Results from a cluster-randomised pilot trial among pregnant women in India
Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 122, 102557 (2026). Elsevier.
Spousal bereavement and depression: Testing moderating effects of pre-loss circumstances and social support in India
Economics & Human Biology, 61, 101585 (2026). Elsevier.
Incentivised dishonesty: Moral frameworks underlying fake online reviews
International Journal of Consumer Studies, 48(2), e13037 (2024). Wiley.
Nudges and choice architecture in public policy: A bibliometric analysis
Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 104, 102020 (2023). Elsevier.
Message framing and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among millennials in South India
PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0269487 (2022).
Gym-goers' self-identification with physically attractive fitness trainers and intention to exercise
Behavioral Sciences, 12(5), 158 (2022).
Factors influencing consumer behavior and prospective purchase decisions in a dynamic pricing environment
Social Sciences, 7(9), 153 (2018).
Nudging the Masses: The Paradox of Libertarian Paternalism in Global Populist Movements
Paying a Price for Value: Choose Wisely
Does integrating pharmaceutical coverage into publicly financed health insurance reduce out-of-pocket spending?
Difference-in-differences evidence from Kerala, India. The paper exploits a policy reform that expanded outpatient pharmaceutical coverage under a state-run insurance scheme to identify its effect on catastrophic health expenditure and near-poor household welfare.
Mapping climate-induced disease risk zones for targeted health interventions in Kerala
Uses satellite-derived climate data and administrative dengue incidence records to identify high-risk zones and design scalable, evidence-based public-health interventions.
J-PAL South Asia · ₹16,26,785
Effectiveness of behavioural interventions on dietary intake of pregnant women in Karnataka, India
A randomised evaluation of nudge-based dietary programmes administered at antenatal care clinics. Assessed impacts on dietary diversity and micronutrient intake among low-income pregnant women.
J-PAL South Asia · ₹20,81,162
Impact of traffic information on service time expectations of customers in food delivery apps
Examines how real-time traffic information displayed on food delivery platforms shapes consumer wait-time expectations and order decisions, using a behavioural nudges and consumer decision-making framework.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education · ₹1,00,000
Courses taught at IIT Roorkee, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India.
College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Accounting, Economics and Finance Area, TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal Academy of Higher Education.
Department of Economics, CHRIST University, Bangalore, India.
Doctoral School of Economic and Regional Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Hungarian Government, Budapest, Hungary.
European Commission · University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
University of Kerala.
Guest author at the Foundation for Economic Education and the Mises Institute. Selected articles: "Greening the MBA, not greenwashing it"; "The rupee is a long way from replacing the dollar"; "High bank fixed deposit interest rates may not last for long"; "Inflation: Misled by mismeasurement."