Dr. Amrita Ghatak is an Associate Professor of Economics in the School of Liberal Arts and Design Studies at the Vidyashilp University (VU). Before joining VU, she worked as an Assistant Professor with the Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR), supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi, and Govt of Gujarat. She also worked as a Research Associate at a couple of organizations such as Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi and Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. Her research works have been in the areas of inclusive development and policies encompassing health, labour, environment, women and social security. She focuses on the intersectionality and linkages among these components that have bearing with the capabilities and the development process in both rural and urban contexts. Following both the qualitative and quantitative techniques she prefers to adopt mixed methodology of empirical/applied research. Dr. Ghatak’s research works have been presented in many national and international institutes/conferences/workshops/forums, and have also been published in reputed journals, books and working papers.

Dr. Ghatak completed Ph.D in Economics degree from Mysore University through ISEC in Bangalore. Her Ph.D thesis – “Health, Labour Supply and Wages: A Study in West Bengal” – received the prestigious V.K.R.V Rao best thesis in Economics award for the period from 2009 to 2014 at ISEC. After Ph.D, she also completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship, funded by the Leeds University, UK, at the Global Change Programme, Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Her Post- Doctoral work looked into the economic viability of low- carbon growth path of Kolkata city.

Present Appointment

Associate Professor of Economics, School of Liberal Arts and Design Studies (Since August, 2023)

Past Appointments

• Assistant Professor, Gujarat Institute of Development Research, Ahmedabad
  (2013 – 2023)
• MS Thesis guide, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata
  (2022 – 2023)
• Visiting Faculty, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar
  (2021-2021)
• Visiting Faculty, Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmedabad
  (2016 – 2020)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  (2013 – 2013)
• Research Associate, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore
  (2011-2012)
• Research Associate, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi
  (2010-2011)
• Guest Faculty, Kalyani Mahavidyalaya, Kalyani
  (2005 – 2006)

• The V.K.R.V. Rao memorial award for the best PhD thesis in economics submitted during 2009-2014 at Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
• Rewards in several cultural competitions including, music (vocal), dance (Bharatnatyam), debate and extempore competitions at the school, college and university levels.
• Postdoctoral Fellowship award from University of Leeds through Global Change Programme, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, from November 26, 2012 to May 25, 2013.
• SANDEE Grant award to participate in the workshop on ‘Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature: Our Responsibility’ organized jointly by Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences from 2nd to 6th May, 2014 in Vatican City as an observer and discussant
• Research Grant award from SANDEE to conduct a study on Environmental Regulations and Compliance in the Textile Dyes units of Gujarat, India from 01.09.2013 to 31.08.2015.
• Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshaiah Trust Scholarship award to pursue Ph.D at Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, during the period from February, 2010 to July, 2010.
• SRTT Research Fellowship award to pursue PhD at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, during the period from 2008-2009.
• ISEC Fellowship award to pursue PhD at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, during the period from August, 2006 to 2008 and 2009 to January, 2010.
• State Government (West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology, Govt. of West Bengal, India) Grant award for attending the 5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Statistics, Mathematics, and Related Fields, from 16th to 18th January, 2006, in Honolulu, Hawaii as the youngest participant excelling in the field of Mathematics.

• Ph.D. in Economics, University of Mysore through Institute for Social and Economic Change: Health, Labour Supply and Wages: A Study in West Bengal, (Submitted in 2012; Degree awarded in 2013)
• M.A. in Economics, University of Kalyani, (2005)
• B.A (Honours) in Economics, University of Kalyani (2003)

• Microeconomics (Basic & Intermediate)
• Mathematical economics
• Behavioural economics
• Research Methodology (Quantitative and Qualitative)

• Health – Economics of health; Economic burden of illness; Demand for healthcare, Supply and infrastructure of healthcare facilities, health (in)equalities, Capabilities in health outcomes, Occupational health
• Labour – Labour process; Informal labour; Gig and platform workers; Working conditions/ Decent work/Quality of work; Agricultural workers; Women labour
• Social security – Pension and cash-transfer programmes; Capability impacts of social security, Women and social security
• Environment – Economics of Natural Resource Management, Common Properties, Pollution, Environmental Health

• Ghatak, Amrita. “Status of Gig Workers in India: A Case of Ahmedabad City during COVID- 19 Pandemic”, under process of publication with Review of Development and Change, Sage Publications
• Ghatak, Amrita, Itishree Pattnaik, Jharna Pathak. “Health Status and Related Capabilities among Widows in Gujarat: Evidences from the Beneficiaries and Non-beneficiaries of Ganga Swaroopa Aarthik Sahay Yojana”, under process of publication with Indian Journal of Human Development, Sage Publications
• Ghatak, Amrita and Kingshuk Sarkar. “Legal Protection for Domestic Workers in COVID-19 Pandemic Times in India: Employers’ Perspectives”, The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: A Review of Economic & Social Development, 2023; 58 (3): 386-402
• Ghatak, Amrita and Kingshuk Sarkar. “Status of Domestic Workers in India: A Tale of Two Cities Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer, 2022; 65 (3): 1-17
• Ghatak, Amrita, “Safety at Workplace, Health and Working Conditions of Workers in the Manufacturing Sector in Ahmedabad”, Anvesak, 2022; 52 (2): 67-85, 2022
• Sarah Colenbrander, Andy Gouldson, Joyashree Roy, Niall Kerr, Sayantan Sarkar, Stephen Hall, Andrew Sudmant, Amrita Ghatak, Debalina Chakravarty, Diya Ganguly. “Can low- carbon development be pro-poor? The Case of Kolkata, India”, Environment and Urbanization, Springer 2017; 29 (2): 1-20
• Ghatak, Amrita and S. Madheswaran. “Impact of Health on Labour Supply and Wages: A case of West Bengal Agricultural Workers”, Journal of Health Management, Springer, 2014; 16 (3)
• Ghatak, Amrita and S. Madheswaran. “Impact of Health on Farm Production in West Bengal, India”, Bangladesh Development Studies, 2013; XXXVI (1)
• Ghatak, Amrita. “Health Labour Supply and Wages: A Critical Review of Literature”, Indian Economic Journal, Sage Publications, 2010; 57 (4)

• Ghatak, Amrita, Itishree Pattnaik, Jharna Pathak. “Does the pension programme help in achieving health outcomes and related capabilities among widows? A case of Ganga Swarupa Aarthik Sahay Yojana in Gujarat”, Working Paper No. 267, GIDR, Ahmedabad, 2022
• Ghatak, Amrita. “Environmental Regulations and Compliance in the Textile Dyes Sector of Gujarat: Case of Ahmedabad Cluster”, Occasional Paper No. 5, GIDR, Ahmedabad, 2021
• Ghatak, Amrita. “Economic Vulnerability of Women in Agriculture in India: Evidence from National Sample Survey 2013”, Working Paper No. 257, GIDR, Ahmedabad, 2020
• Ghatak, Amrita and Kingshuk Sarkar. “Economic Status of Domestic Workers and the institutional support for them in India: Evidence from NSS 2014", Working Paper No. 255, GIDR, Ahmedabad, 2020
• Ghatak, Amrita and Kingshuk Sarkar. “Perils of lockdown and informal sector workers: Reflections in the time of Covid-19”, Vikalp: People’s Perspective for Change, 2020
• Ghatak, Amrita, Debasish Nandy, Suddhasil Siddhanta. “Burden of Diseases due to Air Pollution in Urban India”, Working Paper No. 234, GIDR, Ahmadabad,
• N Lalitha, Amrita Ghatak. “India’s Social Science Research Publications from International Perspectives”, Working Paper No. 236, GIDR, Ahmedabad, 2016
• N. Lalitha and Amrita Ghatak. “Occupational Health Among Workers in the informal sector in India”, Working Paper No. 228, GIDR, Ahmedabad, 2015
• Ghatak Amrita and S. Madheswaran. “Burden of Income Loss due to Ailment in India: Evidence from NSS data”, Working Paper No. 269, ISEC, Bangalore, 2011
• Ghatak, Amrita. “Health Labour Supply and Wages: A Critical Review of Literature, Working Paper No. 244, ISEC, Bangalore, 2010

• Ghatak, Amrita. “Health and Economic Well-being of Non-farm Sector Workers in Rural India” in Keshab Das (Ed) Revving Up the Rural: The Non-Farm Economy in India, Publisher: Routledge, 2024 (Expected)
• Ghatak Amrita and Kingshuk Sarkar. “Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Domestic Workers in India” in Indranil De, Soumyadeep Chattopadhyay, Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan and Kingshuk Sarkar (Eds) Covid-19 Pandemic, Public Policy and Institutions in India: Issues of Labour, Income and Human Capital, Publisher: Routledge, ISBN: 9781032129471, 2022
• Ghatak, Amrita. “Economic Implications of Air Pollution Related Non-Communicable Diseases on Urban Households in India” in Nguyen Tien Phat and Bui Huu Lo (Eds) A Pathway toward Carbon Neutrality in Asia: 11th Congress of the Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (AAERE) in Vietnam on 19th and 20th August, 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Publishers: College of Economics, Law and Government University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City & Information and Communications Publishing House. ISBN: 978-604-80-7270-4, 2022
• Ghatak, Amrita and N. Lalitha. “Health in North-eastern States of India: An Analysis of Economic Vulnerabilities” in Utpal Kumar De, Manoranjan Pal, Premananda Bharati (Eds) Issues on Health and Healthcare in India: Focus on the North-Eastern Region, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. ISBN: 9789811061035 (Hardcover), 2018
• N. Lalitha and Amrita Ghatak. “Quality of Publications in International Context in Sukhadeo Throat and Samar Verma (Eds) Social Science Research in India: Status, Issues and Policies, New Delhi, Publisher: Oxford University Press and Indian Council of Social Science Research, ISBN: 9780199474417, 2017