Nishith Prakash is a Dean’s Professor of Economics and Public Policy with a joint appointment with the Department of Economics and the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, Boston, MA. At Northeastern University, he is also a Co-Director of the Global Action for Policy Initiative. Before joining Northeastern University, he was an associate professor of economics with a joint position with the Department of Economics and the Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Born and raised in Bihar, India, he earned a B.A. (honors) in economics from Shivaji College, an M.A. in economics from Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University (India), and a Ph.D. in economics from University of Houston, TX. He was a post-doctoral research associate at Cornell University, NY from July 2010 till December 2011. He has previously held Visiting Assistant Professor positions at Ohio University, and Dartmouth College, and he has been a Visiting Fellow at Yale University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, and Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School.
He is an Affiliate at Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), CESifo, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM), The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), HiCN Households in Conflict Network (HiCN), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Network Researcher, Global Labor Organization (GLO), and Member of Insights on Immigration and Development (INSIDE-SPAIN). He is also currently serving in the Editorial Board of the journals Nature, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Nature, Scientific Reports, Associate Editor at the Journal of Development Economics and Co-Editor at the Economics of Education Review.
Driven by his commitment to broadening access and opportunities in Economics, Professor Prakash co-founded the Association for Mentoring and Inclusion in Economics (AMIE) in 2021 with Professor Priya Mukherjee (University of Wisconsin, Madison). AMIE aims to foster mentoring for all PhD students in economics and related discipline. He is also a founding board member and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Development Economics Association (IDEA), established in 2026 by development economists from institutions across six world regions to advance the field of development economics.
Professor Prakash's research examines how government policies and institutions shape economic development and human capital in low-income countries, spanning development economics, political economy, public policy, the economics of education, and behavioral economics. Using rigorous empirical methods, he investigates how policy design and institutions can drive more inclusive growth.
His methodological toolkit spans field experiments (RCTs), large-scale surveys in developing countries, and analysis of extensive observational and administrative datasets. He has collaborated with numerous governmental agencies — including the Education Departments of Bihar, Nepal, Zanzibar, and Zambia; State Police forces in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana; the Health Department of Bihar; and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India) — as well as international organizations such as the World Bank.
These research partnerships and field experiences directly enrich his teaching, which covers Development Economics, Applied Econometrics, and Economics of Gender and Inequality. Through both his research and teaching, Professor Prakash continues to advance development economics and inform evidence-based policy aimed at improving human capital in developing nations.
Professor Prakash’s research has featured in The Economist, BBC, Business Insider, The Economic Times, World Bank Development Impact Blog, World Economic Forum, Financial Times, Forbes, The Statesman, The Atlantic, The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Times of India, and other national and international newspapers.
