Surbhi Kesar
Economic development & political economy.
Senior lecturer - Economics, SOAS U of London.
Researches informality, structural transformation, post-colonial capitalist development, decolonizing econ.
sites.google.com/view/surbhikesar/bio
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📣 CfP | Social Reproduction @ IIPPE 2026 🗓️ Deadline: 15 February 2026 Come join us! The IIPPE Social Reproduction Working Group invites paper and panel submissions to the IIPPE 16th Annual Conference. 📍 Lisbon | 🗓️ 9–12 September 2026 👉 CfP in link below or by scanning the QR code
- Enjoyed this conversation with Michael Walker @novaramedia.com on what the recent Nobel prizes in economics miss out about dynamics of development and what a decolonized lens helps mend that. @soaseconomics.bsky.social @soasdevelopment.bsky.social youtu.be/II7U4UlGaIA?...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarNovara( @novaramedia.com )Media "The Case For Decolonizing Economics" Michael Walker, Surbhi( @surbhikesar.bsky.social )Kesar www.youtube.com/watch?v=II7U...
- In this Economic &Political Weekly piece “The Politics of Data”, I identify 3 levels at which the politics operates- a) deliberate misrepresentation, b) adoption of certain categories, measurement, c) privileging methods for analysis at cost of obscuring complex realities. www.epw.in/journal/2025...
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar@surbhikesar.bsky.social and @rosaabraham.bsky.social analyse high frequency panel data on transitions in India’s labour market. Rather than trends to formalisation, they find the main transitions are between different forms of informal work. sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 8/
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarJoin Us at SASE 2026 in Bordeaux! The upcoming SASE conference will feature a mini-conference on International Financial Subordination (IFS). How does IFS evolve in the current context of climate crisis and geopolitical tensions? More info here 👉 sase.org/events/2026-...
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar🚨 Borders, Bosses & Labour: The Real Politics of Immigration Join our 7th Political International Economy International School session. Tutored by: Hannah Cross & David Bacon | Chaired by: @surbhikesar.bsky.social More about them below👇 #GFTUET #Political
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarExciting book launch with @cacrisalves.bsky.social @ingridhk.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social and @devikadutt.bsky.social at our very own @soaseconomics.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📌 Join us TOMORROW at @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics for a discussion with @devikadutt.bsky.social , @cacrisalves.bsky.social , @surbhikesar.bsky.social , Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven on: 🌍 Decolonizing Economics: An Introduction 📚 Info and livestream 🔗 www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/...
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📌 Join us at @soasuni.bsky.social for a discussion with @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social @ingridhk.bsky.social on: "Decolonizing Economics: An Introduction" Livestream➡️: 🔗www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/decolonizing-economics-introduction @eadi.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarIn our podcasts we like to recommend books and here are some of our recommendations from our latest, including books by Nancy Folbre, Marilyn Waring, @devikadutt.bsky.social @ingridhk.bsky.social, @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social, @timjackson.org.uk & @clubofrome.org. #EconSky
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar🆕 Book Launch: Decolonising Economics Join us for the launch of the new book 'Decolonizing Economics', by IIPP Professor @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @devikadutt.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social and @ingridhk.bsky.social. 🔗 Learn more and register here: buff.ly/c3e34Sn
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar👏🏽 We are proud to announce that our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Senior Lecturer, Dr. @surbhikesar.bsky.social, has been appointed Associate Editor of the Oxford Development Studies journal. @Oxford Development Studies
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar💬 How do we really approach issues in economics from a decolonised vs non-decolonised lens? Read the last piece of our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Senior Lecturer @surbhikesar.bsky.social on Exploring Economics 🔗 www.exploring-economics.org/en/discover/...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarThanks everyone for coming to the launch of our book Decolonizing Economics with @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social! Had such a great time engaging with students, friends, the public. And thanks to Marx Memorial Library for hosting 🤗 hetecon.net/2025/07/03/dec…
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarSome thoughts on reading ‘Decolonizing Economics’ by @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social @ingridhk.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/robertbi...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarJoin us next week for a book launch co-hosted with Rethinking Economics for Africa at UCT! @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social will discuss their new book, "Decolonising Economics: An introduction" Date: 16 July Time: 12:50-14:00 (lunch at 12:00) Venue: UCT & online (links below)
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarAt least 73 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since dawn, including 33 aid seekers, according to medical sources.
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar🌏 New in World Development, @rosaabraham6 & our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Senior Lecturer @surbhikesar.bsky.social study the trajectories that characterise Indian labour market, & identify 7 dominant ones. How do they 👀?🧵 🔗https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X25001147
- How do we make sense of the many transitions across employment arrangements in India’s labour market? New in World Development, @rosaabraham.bsky.social & I study the trajectories that characterise Indian labour market, & identify 7 dominant ones. What do they look like? 🧵 x.com/surbhikesar/...
- 2/ We tracked 87k workers over 8 time points over 2017-19 using @CMIEIndia data. We use trajectory analysis / finite fixture models to identify the dominant trajectories. Looks like👇🏽 Largest traj: Always self-employed. 2nd: Transition b/w different forms of informal wage work.
- 3/ No trajectory from informal to formal jobs. Most workers aren’t climbing toward better jobs. They’re stuck or churning. Is informal work a stepping stone to formal jobs? No! Workers in informal wage work have the same chance of getting a formal job as those out of workforce.
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View full thread8/ This should be read in light of Indian’s labour market structure: 1983: Salaried: 16% Casual wage: 27% Self-employed: 56% 2019: 25% | 23% | 50% While salaried work grew slightly, it became precarious—those w/ secure contracts & benefits fell from 32%(2005 ) to 23%(2019).
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarThe entire West Bank is fully under siege now. All movement restricted.
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarOur Annual Workshop is tomorrow, 12 June, at SOAS with Hannah Hasenberger, @hulya-dagdeviren.bsky.social, @lorena-lombardozzi.bsky.social, @leilagautham.bsky.social @jomichell.bsky.social and Peter Skott. 13:30 - 18:30 UK time. No registration required. postkeynesian.net/event/2025-a...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarIt's the book we've been waiting for!! Our podcasts are Eurocentric but that's why we finish our 'Short History' poem as we do. There is still much to learn & @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @devikadutt.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social are helping us with our journey. #EconSky
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📚 Check out the latest symposium edited by our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Senior Lecturer @surbhikesar.bsky.social and Don Goldstein in the Review of Radical Political Economics: “Political Economy of Occupation, Colonialism, and Conflict in Palestine” 🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
- 🧵Don Goldstein & I edit a symposium on “Political Economy of Occupation, Colonialism, and Conflict in Palestine" in Review of Radical Political Economics. 5 powerful essays that place Palestine at the heart of global capitalism’s contradictions. Intro: doi.org/10.1177/0486...
- 2/8 This is both to add a speck to chorus resisting Israel’s violent onslaught on Palestine, while also pushing our academic community to confront how racialization, colonialism, & dispossession—often treated as peripheral—are in fact foundational to capitalism’s expansion.
- 3/ Jennifer Olmsted shows how US aid policy in Israel/Palestine mirrors myth of Sisyphus—endlessly repeating violence under the guise of assistance. Aid to Israel enables militarism. Aid to Palestine reactive & tied. What’s needed? Reparations, not charity. doi.org/10.1177/0486...
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View full threadThe silence of political economists on this is shocking. We must remember: “A failure to intervene in this current moment—which is probably the most destabilizing and politically charged one in the last few decades—would be a failure of the radical political economy project.” 8/8
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarThis wonderful new book just dropped through my mailbox. Looking forward to reading it, and congrats to @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social @ingridhk.bsky.social 🎉
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarIt’s out! I’m deeply proud and grateful for this book — especially for the chance to collaborate with such brilliant & bold minds. Here’s to hoping its ideas spark fresh conversations and inspire meaningful change in our field. #economics #eurocentrism #decolonisation
- Economics obscures or is oblivious to the politics embedded in theorization itself. In this book, @devikadutt.bsky.social, @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social return political questions to the heart of economic theorizing. See more: www.politybooks.com/...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarEconomics obscures or is oblivious to the politics embedded in theorization itself. In this book, @devikadutt.bsky.social, @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social return political questions to the heart of economic theorizing. See more: www.politybooks.com/...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarOur book is out and available for purchase in the U.K. Writing this book with @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social was a long and arduous process that has arguably changed us all, and we’d be honoured for y’all to read it!
- Economics obscures or is oblivious to the politics embedded in theorization itself. In this book, @devikadutt.bsky.social, @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social return political questions to the heart of economic theorizing. See more: www.politybooks.com/...
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar🧵2/2 Follow Developing Economics here: @divdececon.bsky.social. The Editor of Developing Economics is @ingridhk.bsky.social, who has co-authored a new book on Decolonizing Economics, with @devikadutt.bsky.social, @cacrisalves.bsky.social and @surbhikesar.bsky.social. bsky.app/profile/ingr...
- Excited to share details about workshop on “Labour, Informal Economy, and Structural Transformation under Post-Colonial Capitalism”, Anush Kapadia & I are organising. Fantastic scholars join us on June 4-5 June @soasuni.bsky.social, supported by @soaseconomics.bsky.social & New Political Economy.
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarIsrael is using starvation as a weapon - not just genocide and mass murder of civilians, but torture. It is evil beyond belief, and it is evil that the world isn't rising collectively to stop this country. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarThis is going to be a game-changer. If this had been on my undergrad reading list 35 years ago I may have never dropped economics... Pre-ordered! @surbhikesar.bsky.social @soasuni.bsky.social @soasdevelopment.bsky.social @carlosoya.bsky.social @soaseconomics.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarCheck out the new, indispensable book on Decolonising Economics by @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @devikadutt.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social, and @ingridhk.bsky.social www.wiley.com/en-be/Decolo...
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📌 Discover the latest book co-authored by our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Senior Lecturer @surbhikesar.bsky.social with @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @devikadutt.bsky.social and Ingrid Harvold 📚 Decolonizing Economics: An Introduction (Wiley, 2024) ➡ tinyurl.com/mrx84zvh
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarI was gifted a copy of this book, which is hot off the press, by my friend & colleague @surbhikesar.bsky.social It looks great and I look forward to delving into it. Many congratulations @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social & @ingridhk.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarOur book is *finally* available for pre-order! It'll ship next week on May 30th 😱 Been a long time coming, very curious about what you all will think. @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social
- Our book is now available to order! We will be organising some book talks in the upcoming academic year to discuss these embryonic ideas on decolonising economics. @ingridhk.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @devikadutt.bsky.social
- Our book is *finally* available for pre-order! It'll ship next week on May 30th 😱 Been a long time coming, very curious about what you all will think. @devikadutt.bsky.social @cacrisalves.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar🎧 Our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics lecturer @surbhikesar.bsky.social joins @ingridharvold on Remaining Development to discuss how UK-based International NGOs reflect Eurocentric views of development. ♻️ listen to the podcast! 🔗 open.spotify.com/episode/36yd...
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📌 Our @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics Senior Lecturer @surbhikesar.bsky.social will present with @ingridharvold at Comhlámh & Centre for Global Education online seminar: Decolonising Economic Development: The Role of the Development Sector ♻️ info and registration 🔗 comhlamh.org/blog/decolon...
- @ingridhk.bsky.social and I will present our research at the Comhlámh & Centre for Global Education in this online seminar on the extent to which international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in the UK are ‘governing the poor’ through Eurocentric interventions. comhlamh.org/blog/decolon...
- @ingridhk.bsky.social and I will present our research at the Comhlámh & Centre for Global Education in this online seminar on the extent to which international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in the UK are ‘governing the poor’ through Eurocentric interventions. comhlamh.org/blog/decolon...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarInternational NGOs largely continue to support a Eurocentric framework for development, even as they claim to be "decolonising" their practices. @surbhikesar.bsky.social and I explain our research on the Reimagining Development podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/36yd...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarThe commentary by @ingridhk.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social and @devikadutt.bsky.social has become one of the most viewed articles on pecritique website in Persian. I’ve translated it — the link is pecritique.com/2024/11/16/%...
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarNew article: How is the dominant approach to mining in the Econ discipline Eurocentric? What would an alternative non-Eurocentric framework look like and how does it change our understanding of mining? Tracing one mine, I try to answer these questions👇🧵 sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- @soaseconomics.bsky.social and SOAS law are joining hands to organise the book talk with author @quinnslobodian.com to discuss his new book “Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right’. Join us in SOAS on May 7 at 12 noon.
- Join us for a book launch with the author @quinnslobodian.com to discuss his latest book, 'Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right' 🗓️ May 7th 📍 Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS ⏰ 12 noon to 1:30 PM Please register here: forms.office.com/e/0F7RF8cKxk
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarThis is what the Israelis and their apologists call a targeted, anti-terror campaign. This is Rafah today.
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarIsraeli statement here is clearly true. IDF did *not* "randomly attack' an ambulance and kill its occupants. The IDF deliberately attacked an ambulance and murdered its occupants. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
- I had the pleasure to interview the brilliant @sarastevano.bsky.social about her fantastic work on approaches to social reproduction. Listen to her speak about her work here 👇🏽
- 🎙️ New podcast episode on social reproduction, unpaid labor, and feminist political economy, featuring @surbhikesar.bsky.social and @sarastevano.bsky.social as they explore economic structures in the Global South! 🎧 Listen to the full discussion here! 🔗 🔊 shorturl.at/lFyJJ
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarIsrael just committed *the largest child massacre in its history*, according to Haaretz. Two hundred Palestinian children murdered in a single day, with direct support from the US and UK, and zero outrage from Western media. What stage of barbarism is this...
- Informal economy as a term is so misunderstood in the West. Unsurprising, given the term was used to characterise the type of economies West couldn’t recognise or understand. It’s important to asses informal economy in terms of the question of labour and failed structural transformation. 1/n
- Informal economy comprises all small enterprises and all wage work w/o long term job contracts. That’s > 80% of Indian economy. While often seen as those not under tax or regulatory system, it’s the wrong starting point. That’s simply a symptom (firms are too small to pay taxes) not the issue! 2/
- The issue is of a structural transformation. Informal enterprises in India are mainly small self-employed firms that only use family labour & no wage labour for production (much like Lewis’s traditional segment). As a set, they haven’t been able to expand to transition into larger firms. 3/
- 50% of workforce in India is self-employed, w/o much change over last 3 decades (growth period). Employers is 3%. Of those in wage work, much of it is not long term job contracts or formal employment. It raises questions on the nature of growth process in India and its ability to absorb labour. 4/4
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📌Join Alessandra Mezzadri, Shirin Rai & @sarastevano.bsky.social for a discussion on pluralising feminist readings of the world economy and social reproduction 📅 20 March 5.15pm 📍SOAS SALT & Zoom Register➡️shorturl.at/djuB5 @surbhikesar.bsky.social @naomihossain.bsky.social @carlosoya.bsky.social
- Looking forward to speaking today on how AJR - & the development theory & practice today - remains firmly w/in Eurocentric tenets. Based on recent commentary W/ @ingridhk.bsky.social @devikadutt.bsky.social I’ll be in conversation w/ @rosiecollington.bsky.social, who will speak about the Big Con!
- Ready to debunk everything you thought you knew about development? Join our event 'Institutionalized Confusion: Development Theory Meets Consultancy Practices' 🕰️ Friday 14th March, 4pm CET Sign up: bit.ly/4aVmbk6
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarLooking forward to this event today w/ @surbhikesar.bsky.social! W/ @ingridhk.bsky.social & @devikadutt.bsky.social, Surbhi wrote this amazing piece on AJR's "Nobel" prize & the colonial origins of economics last year. We'll explore its relevance to consulting practices ingridhk.com/wp-content/u...
- Ready to debunk everything you thought you knew about development? Join our event 'Institutionalized Confusion: Development Theory Meets Consultancy Practices' 🕰️ Friday 14th March, 4pm CET Sign up: bit.ly/4aVmbk6
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📌Join Alessandra Mezzadri, Shirin Rai & @sarastevano.bsky.social for a discussion on pluralising feminist readings of the world economy and social reproduction 📅 March 6, 5pm 📍SOAS SALT & Zoom Registration ➡️shorturl.at/djuB5 @surbhikesar.bsky.social @naomihossain.bsky.social @soasuni.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarJust seeing the RCT 'scandal' brewing among econs again. This is not a question about some bad apples or some instances of malpractice. The RCT industry has been completely distorted from its inception in Econ and this is closely tied to the incentive structure of the discipline.
- The tendency among sm Marxists &/or leftists to diss identity aspects of contemporary movements or to reduce it to identity determinism betrays a laziness in analysis to meaningfully integrate theoretical category of class w/ identity. Let’s be better & put in the work. It’s not one vs other.
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarLet's try this: I am looking for Marxist / HetEcon views on monopoly, preferably more micro-focused than Baran / Sweezy. Any suggestions? @dkmarxsoc.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social @isabellamweber.bsky.social @mauricehoefgen.bsky.social #EconSky
- A fantastic talk by Jonathan Jenner on Labour coercion under colonialism in Kenya. So refreshing and such in-depth archival work.
- 📌 Join us TODAY at @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics for a discussion with Jonathan Jenner on: Policing the ‘Reserve’ Wage: The Spatial Control of Unemployment, Carceral Labor Discipline, and Colonial Profitability in Depression-Era #Kenya 🌍 Info 🔗 tinyurl.com/36sas9z2
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar@soaseconomics.bsky.social has joined us here! You need to follow them because they are easily the most exciting and innovative economics department you will find anywhere. @soasdevelopment.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social @sarastevano.bsky.social @danielagabor.bsky.social
- 📌 Join us TODAY at @soasuni.bsky.social #Economics for a discussion with Jonathan Jenner on: Policing the ‘Reserve’ Wage: The Spatial Control of Unemployment, Carceral Labor Discipline, and Colonial Profitability in Depression-Era #Kenya 🌍 Info 🔗 tinyurl.com/36sas9z2
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📣 Call for Papers for the 27th Annual Conference of the Association of Heterodox Economics (AHE) 18-20 June 2025 at King’s College London (Waterloo Campus) Deadline for papers and panels: February 14th 2025 hetecon.net/2024/12/17/a...
- Burawoy on appropriation of Eric Wright's work "Having stripped the politics out of Marxism, having left behind the contradictions of capitalism, having abandoned history—especially history as the history of class struggle—and having reduced class analysis to another set of independent variables..”+
- “…mainstream sociologists were quite at home with Erik’s multivariate Marxism. If this was Marxism, then bring it on" This is true for economics too, where in little ways Marx's insights have been incorporated stripping it of the politics.
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar🎙️ New podcast episode unravels informal economy with Surbhi Kesar, in a thought-provoking conversation with Sara Stevano, focusing on the Indian economy Tune in for key insights! Listen here 🔊 www.soas.ac.uk/research/res... @naomihossain.bsky.social @laurahammond.bsky.social #IndianEconomy
- Reposted by Surbhi Kesar📢Tomorrow @ 5pm! Don’t miss the lecture by Shiping Tang! See you there @soasuni.bsky.social @soaslibrary.bsky.social @soas-dld.bsky.social @eadi.bsky.social @devcomms.bsky.social @carlosoya.bsky.social @naomihossain.bsky.social @kings-sga.bsky.social @surbhikesar.bsky.social @sarastevano.bsky.social
- Reposted by Surbhi KesarMaking feminist economics count - Workshop @ SOAS (13th & 14th of Feb) Come join us for a two day workshop dedicated to learning & advancing quantitative methods in feminist economics. Limited spaces. Apply! ysi.ineteconomics.org/event/making...
