Dr. Shashwati Banerjee has joined the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) as Assistant Professor of Economics. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the Department of HSS of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, where her doctoral research examined the economic burden of healthcare on industrial workers in urban slums, focusing on the dynamics of out-of-pocket expenditure, vulnerability, and inequality. She also holds an M.S. in Management from Vinod Gupta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, and an M.A. in Economics from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. She teaches Managerial Economics, Health Economics, and Economics of Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth, with a special focus on integrating economic theory with real-world applications for engineers and management students. Her research interests are particularly focused on:
Health Inequality and Economics of Healthcare – analyzing disparities in access, cost, and quality of healthcare, with emphasis on vulnerable populations.
Labor Economics & Informal Sector – examining occupational health hazards, productivity, and livelihood insecurity among workers in informal and hazardous industries.
Poverty, Migration, and Urban Slums – studying the socio-economic vulnerabilities of migrant workers and urban poor communities.
Gender and Development – exploring women’s participation in the workforce, workplace safety, and empowerment in urban and rural contexts.
Her work has been published in leading journals such as the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, Progress in Development Studies, etc. She also serves as Associate Editor of Development in Practice (Taylor & Francis) and as a reviewer for journals including Studies in Microeconomics, Sustainable Cities and Society, and Geoforum. Beyond academia, she contributes regularly to the editorial pages of national newspapers, translating complex economic issues into accessible narratives for wider public understanding.
She actively seeks interdisciplinary collaborations at the intersection of economics, engineering, health sciences, and management, and welcomes opportunities to work with academic peers, industry partners, and policy institutions. that address health inequities, sustainable livelihoods, and inclusive development.
My research is driven by the question: How can economics provide analytical frameworks to improve human well-being under conditions of constraint, inequality, and uncertainty?
I work across health economics, development economics, managerial economics, and behavioral economics, applying quantitative modeling, econometric analysis, and behavioral insights to address pressing socio-economic challenges.
In health economics, my focus is on occupational health hazards in industries such as mining. Using cost–benefit analysis and quality-of-life indices, I examine how workplace health risks affect productivity, household income, and intergenerational well-being. This work contributes to evidence-based strategies for designing integrated health and labor policies.
In development economics, I study poverty, migration, and inequality in access to healthcare and insurance markets. A key strand of this work analyzes the trust deficit in private health insurance, showing how institutional credibility and socio-economic status shape household decisions. These insights inform the design of policies for risk pooling and social protection in emerging economies.
In managerial economics, I investigate how organizations in developing contexts make strategic choices under uncertainty and resource constraints. My research demonstrates how firms adapt labor allocation, investment, and innovation when faced with information asymmetries and regulatory challenges, thereby linking managerial decision-making to broader developmental outcomes.
Adding to this, my interest in behavioral economics deepens the analysis by exploring how cognitive biases, heuristics, and perceptions influence economic decision-making at both individual and institutional levels. For example, I examine how behavioral barriers affect health insurance uptake, workplace safety practices, and consumer adoption of preventive healthcare. Understanding these behavioral dimensions allows for the design of nudges and choice architectures that make policies and managerial strategies more effective in real-world settings.
Looking ahead, I plan to expand my research along three analytical axes:
Predictive and Behavioral Modeling in Health Systems – Integrating machine learning, econometrics, and behavioral data to predict health risks and design preventive interventions.
Economics of Work and Sustainability – Developing frameworks that quantify trade-offs between occupational safety, productivity, and social equity.
Behaviorally Informed Policy and Management – Applying behavioral insights to design nudges for improved insurance uptake, healthier workplace practices, and sustainable consumer choices.
My broader goal is to produce research that not only advances academic debates but also informs policy, managerial practice, and institutional design, ensuring that economics serves as a bridge between rigorous theory and socially impactful solutions.
Created: 23 November 2019
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