Professor Kunal Sen elected to the Council of the Royal Economic Society
, Professor of Development Economics at the Global Development Institute, has been elected to the Council of the Royal Economic Society (RES) following a competitive ballot process. The RES is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious economic associations, and Professor Sen will serve a five-year term lasting from June 2026 to June 2031. He plans to use this valuable opportunity to bring together communities of economists from around the world, creating stronger links between the RES and other professional associations of economics, especially in the Global South.
Professor Sen has over three decades鈥� worth of experience in academic and applied development economics scholarship, with expertise in the Indian economy, international finance, the dynamics of poverty, female labour force participation, and the informal sector. He has authored and co-authored a long list of publications, with recent books including (2023) and (2016).
Professor Sen has also served as the Joint Research Director of the research centre 鈥� a GDI-led project that worked to deepen the understanding of governance in the developing world. His research into the state鈥檚 role in underpinning has been particularly influential. He extended this work as lead for the .
In 2019, Professor Sen took research leave from GDI to serve as the Director of United Nations University 鈥� (UNU-WIDER), a UN agency and research institute producing economic analysis and policy advice that encourages sustainable and equitable development for all. After he completes his successful tenure, GDI looks forward to welcoming Professor Sen back this summer.
In response to his election, Professor Sen said:
I鈥檓 thrilled and honoured to have been elected to the RES. I view my appointment as an opportunity to make a difference to the way professional economists in the UK engage with economists in the Global South, bringing my networks in UNU-WIDER into play. I believe such connections are vital for nurturing a more equitable and justice-oriented economics landscape.