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About the Centre
Integral Economics: A Return to the Essentials
The Centre for Integral Economics at Chanakya University aspires to establish itself as a preeminent institution dedicated to pioneering research and innovation in alternative economic frameworks that augment traditional market-based solutions.
It seeks to serve as a global hub for scholars engaged in developing approaches that complement and enhance conventional economic paradigms, thereby fostering holistic economic growth. Its broader purpose is to cultivate new economic frameworks that are urgently needed to address the challenges of the contemporary world.
Vision
The Centre aspires to advance global economic thought by fostering pluralistic, context-specific frameworks that transcend conventional paradigms, uniting scholars worldwide to drive innovative solutions for holistic and sustainable economic progress
Mission
The Centre is dedicated to advancing context-specific economic frameworks through innovative research on cultural belief systems, historical continuities, and pedagogical reform, serving as a global hub for scholars to foster holistic and sustainable economic solutions
Focus Research areas
- Cultural Belief Systems
- Historical Continuities
- Pluralistic, context-aware economic frameworks
- Augmenting market-based solutions
- Institutional Economics
- Holistic and sustainable economic progress
People
Chairperson
Sri M.P. Kumar
Entrepreneur. Educationist. Philanthropist
President of Rashtrotthana Trust Founder-Chairman of Global Edge Software Ltd
Acting Director
Dr. Kausik Gangopadhyay
Professor at IIM Kozhikode
PhD from the University of Rochester (2007)
Trainer and Consultant, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Indian Army, Reliance Industries
Advisory Board
Dr. Yugank Goyal
Professor, Public Policy, FLAME University
Ph.D. in Law and Economics from University of Hamburg
Founder Director, Center for Knowledge Alternatives
Regional Advisory Council Member, ICCR, GoI.
Advisory Board
Dr. Ranjan Ghosh
Associate Professor, IIM Ahmedabad
PhD Economics from Humboldt University, Germany
Chairperson of the Sub-committee, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (GOI)
Independent director of a Public Sector enterprise
Global Scholars
Sri. Kishen Shastry
Doctoral Candidate (Economics) at the University of Cambridge
Master’s degree in International Economics from the Geneva Graduate Institute
Explores the relationships between Development, Institutions and Culture
Executive Team
Dr. Swaraj Kumar Dey
Deputy Director
PhD in Economics from IIM Kozhikode
MBA from IIM Kozhikode
Research areas include political economy, behavioural economics, and game theory
Ms. Charumati Haran
Senior Fellow
Master of Public Policy (Policy Analysis) from Hertie School, Germany
Led early implementation of $330 million World Bank–Government of India SANKALP project on skill development
Worked with UNESCO to launch its first 200-member Community of Practice
Ms. Greeshma K A
Centre Coordinator
Gold Medalist and First Rank Holder in MA Economics at Mangalore University.
Engaged in teaching roles focused on Development Economics and the History of Economic Thought
Worked as Associate Registrar (Evaluation Office) at Chanakya University.
Mr. Vibhor Garg
Research Assistant
M. Res. Economic History, London School of Economics.
B.A. (Hons) Economics, Ashoka University
Research interests include economic history, behavioural and developmental economics, machine learning and social data science
Mr. Ashwin Prakash
Research Assistant
MA Applied Economics, Centre for Development Studies.
Research interests include industrial performance, influence of AI in academia, behavioural econmics, sustainability, taxation and migration.
Research & Collaborations
Research Papers:
- Identity social media and online political activism : Published in European Journal of Political Economy (ABDC-A)
- Rethinking Economic Pedagogy: Incorporating Indian Epistemology into modern curriculum: Presented in IKSHA 2025: First Annual Academic Conference on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
- Identity Groups, Susceptibility to Political Fake News and Social Media Choice: Currently under review at the Journal of Comparative Economics (ABDC-A)
Ongoing collaborations
- Collaboration with Azim Premji University
- Collaboration with Prestige University and IIM Calicut
- Collaboration with Dr. Shiv Hastawala, Independent Researcher and Consultant (UK, Awards)
Activities
Over the year, the Centre plans to launch diverse projects such as research residencies, fellowships for academic writing, doctoral scholarships, and support for publications in top-tier journals. In-house initiatives such as textbook development, bibliometric studies, and institutional surveys are also under development.
The Center also envisions hosting workshops on integral economics, annual academic conferences, and industry-government policy conclaves, while leveraging digital platforms and scholarly networks to broaden access to knowledge and foster engagement beyond academia. In the long term, the Center for Integral Economics is committed to cultivating a globally connected, interdisciplinary ecosystem of researchers, educators, and practitioners.
Events
Discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25
On February 7, 2024, the Centre for Integral Economics at Chanakya University hosted an engaging and analytically rich discussion on the Union Budget 2024–25, bringing together students, faculty, and scholars for a focused conversation on the budget’s priorities, fiscal strategy, and broader socio-economic implications. The session aimed to move beyond surface-level commentary, encouraging participants to view the budget as a reflection of deeper economic and policy directions. Guest speakers Dr. Swaraj Kumar Dey and Dr. Renjith Raj offered complementary insights Dr. Raj presented a structured overview of sectoral allocations and taxation proposals, while Dr. Dey analyzed the broader economic and social impact of the budget on key stakeholder groups including rural communities, the middle class, and business sectors. The discussion was marked by thoughtful engagement from the audience, with questions addressing themes such as fiscal sustainability, welfare provisions, and inclusive growth. This event reflected the Centre’s commitment to fostering critical, context-sensitive economic discourse and creating meaningful platforms for dialogue on contemporary policy issues.
Book Launch and Discussion
The Majoritarian Myth: How Unscientific Social Theories Create Disharmony
The Centre for Integral Economics, in collaboration with the Research Exchange Forum (REF), hosted a thought-provoking discussion on The Majoritarian Myth by Prof. Kaushik Gangopadhyay. The event featured opening remarks by Dr. Priyanka Dwivedi and an introductory note by Dr. Swaraj Kumar Dey, setting the tone for a rich academic exchange. The book challenges the common assumption that majority communities are inherently oppressive, arguing instead that intolerance stems from rigid ideological frameworks—what the author terms Linear Theories of Social Evolution (LTSE)—embedded in ideologies like Marxism, Political Islam, and Cultural Liberalism. Prof. Gangopadhyay’s presentation, followed by an engaging Q&A with students and faculty, emphasized that real intolerance is driven by ideological dogma rather than numerical dominance. Drawing on Indic civilizational values such as Satya (truth) and Ahimsa (non-violence), the session called for a return to empirically grounded, tradition-informed social discourse.
Advancing Development Economics: Leadership, Electrification, and Causal Insights in India
On September 12th, 2025, the Centre for Integral Economics and Research Exchange Forum at Chanakya University hosted Dr. Shiv Hastawala, an independent researcher and consultant. Dr. Hastawala presented an overview of his research on development economics and causal inference methods.
This interactive session focused on two key projects: First, Dr. Hastawala’s study on female politicians and corruption in Indian Gram Panchayats, which found that women leaders initially received more bribes when appointed through quotas, but this decreased over subsequent terms as confidence grew. Second, his research on electricity access in West Bengal showed that electrification improved test scores for younger children, with diminishing effects for older students.
Dr. Hastawala also outlined his upcoming projects including creating a Gurukul database to document traditional Indian educational institutions and developing an India Evidence Database highlighting the country’s cultural and institutional traditions. The session closed with a useful discussion of teaching methods in economics and how they could be made more engaging for students.
Contact Us
To get in touch with us, please reach out to
Greeshma KA, Centre Coordinator at
greeshma.ka@chanakyauniversity.edu.in