Amrita Saha is an economist with a focus on political economy and development. She leads IDS’s work on trade and inclusive growth. Her work on international trade has received global coverage and uptake in government strategies, UN organisations, and the media (including the Financial Times, and the Guardian).
Her ongoing research explores the intersection of trade and inclusive growth – the political economy of trade policy; trade, gender, and development; food and agricultural policy; and innovation and inclusive structural change. Amrita holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Sussex. Her past research roles have included working with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the Ministry of Commerce in India, WTO Geneva, and United Nations ESCAP. She has also taken up various teaching roles at IDS, LSE, SOAS, University of Sussex, and University of Bath.
Amrita has extensive experience in designing and implementing large-scale household and firm-level surveys, small-scale targeted surveys and structured interviews. Her work demonstrates a combination of rigorous quantitative modelling, qualitative methods, and the use of digital applications for survey design. She is particularly interested in working on political economy issues for India, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Teaching
Amrita is co-convener of MA Globalisation, Business, and Development.
Specialist short courses
Amrita is the convener of the IDS short course Making Trade Policy Inclusive.
