Home university: Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India Duration of the Fellowship: 12 months (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027) Research interests Why did you apply for the fellowship? What would you like to achieve during the course of the fellowship? Göttingen at first (and second) sight? What do you do when you are not doing research?
Dr. Manhar Manchanda
I am an applied microeconomist with research interests broadly spanning areas of political economy, public economics, and development economics, with a particular focus on political behavior, representation, governance structures, and public goods provision in developing countries.
This fellowship offers an invaluable opportunity to interact closely with scholars working at the frontier of development economics, learn from their perspectives, and expand my own research horizons. The Development Economics Group at the University of Göttingen, with its outstanding reputation and the intellectual legacy of Professor Stephan Klasen's work on poverty, inequality, and gender, which has continued to influence my own research, provides an ideal environment in which to grow as a researcher and develop new ideas and collaborations.
During this fellowship, I aim to make progress on my ongoing projects and bring them closer to publication. At the same time, I want to make the most of the opportunity to interact with researchers working on related questions, exchange ideas, and receive feedback on my work, and hopefully, build collaborations and develop new research ideas
It is hard not to be struck by the sheer beauty of the city at first sight, and I was lucky enough to arrive just in time to catch sight of the cherry blossoms in bloom. The history of the city is everywhere on display, from its buildings to its parks (and even inscriptions on random benches). As I have spent more time here, I have come to admire Göttingen's quiet charm: its walkability, its relaxed pace of life, and the warmth and friendliness of the people here.
I have really been enjoying taking long walks across different parts of the city and listening to different buskers play in the City Centre over the weekends. I have also begun to enjoy experimenting with new recipes, which has been adventurous, to say the least.
