Overview
Arnab’s main research interests are in the areas of labor markets in development countries, the economics of eco-and social labeling and field experiments to elicit behavioral preferences. Within labor markets, Arnab’s research spans topics on the informal sector, minimum wage and enforcement, labor contracts, employment guarantee schemes, child labor and human trafficking. He has also explored the economics of statistical discrimination regarding product quality and how it impacts comparative advantage in trade between nations, how international product market shares and adoption of eco-labels by developing countries are related, and how incomplete information on labeled products impact consumer willingness to pay. More recently, he has undertaken field experiments amongst coffee farmers in Colombia and cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire to study how behavioral preferences affect production decisions, household labor supply and human capital investments. Arnab is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) in Bonn, Germany and a Fellow of the Global Labor Organization (GLO). He was awarded a Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany and is a recipient of the Theodore W. Schultz Young Economist Prize awarded by the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
Research Focus
Development Economics, Field Experiments, Information Economics, International Trade and Labor Economics
