Rate My Professor Rajesh Ramachandran

Rajesh Ramachandran is an Associate Professor of Economics at Monash University Malaysia in the School of Business. He also serves as Co-Director (by courtesy) of the Chair of International and Development Politics at Heidelberg University since January 2023. Prior to joining Monash in September 2021, Ramachandran held postdoctoral positions at Heidelberg University and Goethe University Frankfurt. His academic background includes a PhD in Economics from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2013), an M.Sc. in Models and Methods of Quantitative Economics from a joint program at the Universities of Bielefeld, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and Barcelona (2007), a Masters in Law and Economics from a joint program at Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Hamburg, and University of Bologna (2006), an M.A. in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics (2004), and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Delhi.

Ramachandran's research lies at the intersection of development economics and political economy. He studies language policy and political linguistics, focusing on the economic and social consequences of medium of instruction policies, and the economics of caste, inequality, and human capital in India, including caste's effects on education, health, labor markets, and affirmative action. His publications appear in top journals such as the American Political Science Review, Journal of Development Economics, World Development, and Journal of Politics. Key works include "Discriminatory social norms and early childhood development" (Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2025, with Ashwini Deshpande), "The historical sources of language policy" (The Journal of Politics, 2025, with David D. Laitin), "The imperium of the colonial tongue? Evidence on language policy preferences in Zambia" (Journal of African Economies, 2023, with Christopher Rauh), "Linguistic diversity, official language choice and human capital" (Journal of Development Economics, 2022, with David D. Laitin), and "Traditional hierarchies and affirmative action in a globalizing economy: Evidence from India" (World Development, 2019, with Ashwini Deshpande). Beyond academia, his research has been covered by The Economist, Financial Times, BBC, and Indian media, with opinion pieces in The Hindu, The India Forum, The Indian Express, and ThePrint.