Pradeep has been working as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India, since 2015. He works in the area of applied development economics, with a specific focus on education. Much of his work harnesses the empirical relationship between education and development using large household and institutional data sets in developing economies. His recent work has centered on understanding the changing relationship between education and inequality in India, specifically finding out the effect of the growing private sector presence.
He has international research collaborations with the World Health Organization (WHO), Stanford University and Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH) in the area of education, health and development. The most recent collaboration with CSH looks at the gender inequalities in scientific careers among engineering and medicine graduates in India, funded by Chair for Women and Science, Paris, France. Several of his works have appeared in peer-reviewed journals like Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, International Journal of Educational Development, Economic and Political Weekly, Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, Millennial Asia, Indian Journal of Human Development, Journal of School Choice, Social Change, Journal of Social and Economic Development, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, and Review of Development and Change. His co-edited volume titled Contextualising Educational Studies in India: Research, Policy and Practices was published by Routledge in 2021. His forthcoming book project (with Prof. Satvinderpal Kaur, Panjab University) for Routledge examines how COVID-19 pandemic has impacted access, inclusion and learning (in both school and higher education) in India. This work problematizes the state’s response to the education crisis, outlines strategies to minimize disruptions in the education sector and builds a resilient education system in India.
Pradeep is also an advisory member of the Delhi Knowledge Cluster, an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India. He was the China-India Visiting Scholars Fellow (2021-22) of Ashoka University. Before joining JNU, he worked as a faculty at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, and as a Research Fellow at the Public Health Foundation of India and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. He holds a PhD in economics of education from the National University of Educational Planning and Administration and a master degree in economics from the University of Hyderabad, India. During the fellowship period, Pradeep’s research will examine the current trend and patterns in access to quality early childhood education (ECE) in India, mainly to understand the changing parental strategies and aspirations for early years of education.
For a complete profile, visit: https://www.jnu.ac.in/content/pradeepchoudhury
To read Pradeep’s interview with the Mittal Institute, visit: https://mittalsouthasiainstitute.harvard.edu/2023/09/pradeep-choudhury/
