Anagha Tobi

Dr. Anagha Tobi is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Mahindra University, Hyderabad. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the School of Economics, University of Hyderabad, where her doctoral research examined the nexus between economic growth and income distribution through an assessment of development thought in post-independent India. Dr. Tobi’s research interests lie at the intersection of Development Economics, Macroeconomics, Labour Economics, Classical Political Economy, and the History of Economic Thought and Alternative Economic Paradigms. Her work is particularly concerned with questions of economic development, income distribution, labour markets, gender, informality, health, and the theoretical foundations of economic policy. Her research adopts a critical and pluralist approach to economics, drawing on Post-Keynesian and heterodox traditions alongside empirical investigation of contemporary Indian economic and social issues.

Dr. Tobi is actively involved in doctoral research supervision at Mahindra University and currently serves as the primary supervisor to scholars working on women’s work and time poverty, heat stress and vulnerability in the gig economy, and catastrophic health expenditure and health-insurance adoption in India. Her teaching experience spans both undergraduate and doctoral education, with courses including Principles of Economics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Development Economics, Health Economics, and Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Economic Analysis.

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Economics — 2023
  School of Economics, University of Hyderabad, Telangana, India
  Thesis: Economic Growth and Income Distribution: An Assessment of the Development Thoughts in Post-Independent India
• Master of Arts (M.A.) in Economics — 2016
  University of Hyderabad, Telangana, India
  Duration: 2014–2016
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Economics — 2014
  Mar Ivanios College, University of Kerala, Kerala, India
  Duration: 2011–2014
• UGC-NET with Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Economics
  University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India
• Dissertation/Thesis Title: Economic Growth and Income Distribution: An Assessment of Development Thoughts in Post-Independent India

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

• “Women’s Labour Market Outcomes and Contours of Subnationalism” (2024). Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), with Boddu Srujana and Sipoy Sarveswar. [Scopus & ABDC-B Indexed]
• “Is Rising Pharma Market a New Burden? Introspecting the Implications of India’s Healthcare Journey from Public to a Private Good” (2023). International Journal of Health Governance, with Srujana Boddu. [Scopus & Web of Science ESCI Indexed]
• “State Mediation and Youth Labour Market Segmentation: Evidence from Four Indian States” (Under Final Review). Development in Practice, with Srujana Boddu. [Web of Science SSCI & Scopus Q2 Indexed]

PUBLICATIONS IN CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

• “Augmenting Social Development through Direct Cash Transfers: An Analysis from Three Indian States” (2025). Proceedings of the International Conference on Public Policy in India and the Global South, Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (with Boddu Srujana and Sipoy Sarveswar).

WORKING PAPERS & MANUSCRIPTS UNDER PREPARATION

• “Declaring Neoclassical Economics Dead? A Premature Obituary” (with Limakumba Walling)

PUBLIC COMMENTARY & OP-EDS

• “No More ‘Bangalore Water Supply’ Shield: Top Court Changes the Future of Labour Disputes” (2026). The Wire (with Srujana Boddu).
• “The Real Cost of GST 2.0 Reform: What it Means for Marginalised Workers and the Informal Economy” (2025). The Indian Express (with Srujana Boddu).

• From (10/07/2023) – To (Present): Assistant Professor, Mahindra University

My research is primarily located in Macroeconomics and Development Economics, with a particular focus on understanding the development dynamics of the Indian economy. My doctoral research, Economic Growth and Income Distribution: An Assessment of the Development Thoughts in Post-Independent India, examined the nexus between economic growth and income distribution through the evolution of development thinking in post-independent India. This continues to inform my broader interest in understanding how macroeconomic processes translate into patterns of development and distribution.

Within this broad macro-development framework, my research increasingly focuses on the labour dimensions of economic development; how changes in the structure and pace of economic development affect employment, labour market outcomes, and the lived realities of workers. This includes questions of labour-market segmentation, informality, gender and work, and emerging forms of employment such as gig and platform work. I am particularly interested in how these processes shape workers’ economic security and well-being, including dimensions such as health, nutrition, and vulnerability. My research therefore seeks to connect macroeconomic processes with the micro-level realities of workers and households, while examining the institutional and policy mechanisms that mediate these outcomes.

The theoretical lens underpinning this work draws substantially from heterodox economic traditions, particularly Post-Keynesian Economics, Classical Political Economy, and the History of Economic Thought. These perspectives provide a framework for critically examining conventional understandings of growth, distribution, employment, and development, and for exploring alternative ways of understanding the evolution of the Indian economy. Overall, my research seeks to understand how macroeconomic development shapes the world of work, distribution, and human well-being in India, bringing together macroeconomic theory, development analysis, and the lived realities of economic change.