Abstract

In his recently published book, Just a Mercenary – Notes from My Life and Career, Dr Duvvuri Subbarao, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), traces his career from grassroot administration in the frontlines of India’s vast hinterland to the top echelons of India’s civil service. His career, spanning over 40 years, runs alongside India’s several transitions; most importantly, its evolution from a poor country stuck in the ‘Hindu Rate of Growth’ to being the fastest growing large economy in the world today. The book touches on a host of policy issues that are relevant for India’s journey towards growth and widely shared prosperity.

The seminar will be a freewheeling discussion on India’s challenges and opportunities.

About the Speaker

Duvvuri Subbarao served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for five years (2008-13). Prior to that, he was Finance Secretary to the Government of India (2007-08) and Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (2005-07).

As a career civil servant in India for over three decades and as a lead economist in the World Bank for five years, Dr Subbarao acquired vast hands-on experience in public finance management.

Dr Subbarao holds a Masters Degree in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He studied Economics at the Ohio State University and later at MIT. He has a PhD in Economics from the Andhra University.

After stepping down from the Reserve Bank, Dr Subbarao has been a Visiting Fellow at several universities around the world including the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

About the Chairperson

Puspa Sharma is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. He has about 19 years of experience in policy research on trade and development issues and has provided expert services to the government of Nepal and several international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least-Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Dr Sharma was an expert member of the teams that prepared the Nepal Trade Integration Strategy 2023 and Nepal’s Trade Logistics Development Policy 2022 for the government of Nepal. From 2009 to 2021, he worked at the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), a think tank based in Kathmandu, in various capacities, latest as its Executive Director. He was also the Editor-in-Chief of SAWTEE’s flagship publication Trade Insight. He is a member of the International Advisory Network of the Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs, an initiative of The Graduate Institute, Geneva, and a member of the Standing Group on Food Policy and Governance, European Consortium of Political Research.

Dr Sharma has published articles in esteemed peer-reviewed journals such as Agriculture and Human Values, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice and Globalizations. He has also authored, reviewed and edited books, book chapters, working papers, research reports, policy briefs, briefing papers and articles on trade, least developed countries graduation, landlocked developing countries’ concerns, agriculture and food systems, regional integration, paperless trade and other development issues focusing Nepal and South Asia.

Dr Sharma holds a PhD in Public Policy from the Australian National University, which he earned as an Australia Awards scholar. He earned his MA degree in Global Finance, Trade and Economic Integration from the University of Denver, Colorado, as a Fulbright student. He also holds an MA degree in Economics from the Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.