Nishith Prakash is a Professor of Public Policy and Economics with a joint appointment with the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the Department of Economics at the Northeastern University, Boston, MA. At Northeastern University, he is also a Co-Director of the Global Action for Policy Initiative. Before joining the 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 journal PLOS ONE and 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.

Professor Prakash’s research focuses on empowering human capital in low-income countries, spanning a broad range of interrelated fields including development economics, political economy, public policy, the economics of education, and behavioral economics. His work consistently explores the complex relationship between government policies and economic development, using rigorous empirical methods to assess how policies and institutions can drive inclusive growth.

His methodological expertise includes designing and implementing field experiments (RCTs), conducting large-scale surveys in developing countries, and analyzing extensive observational and administrative datasets. He has collaborated with numerous governmental agencies, such as the Education Departments of Bihar, Nepal, Zanzibar, and Zambia; State Police forces in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana; the Health Department of Bihar; the Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India); and international organizations like the World Bank.

These research partnerships and field experiences enrich his teaching, which covers key topics such as Development Economics, Applied Econometrics, and the 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.