Roshan Kannan

Roshan Kannan is a graduate student in the Master’s program in International and Development Economics (IDE) at Yale University. He holds a B.A. (Honors) in Economics from Azim Premji University, India. His academic interests lie at the intersection of development economics, labor economics, and causal inference, with a particular focus on evaluating the effectiveness of social welfare policies.

Roshan’s interest in development economics was shaped by his internship with the Andhra Pradesh Society for Social Audit, Accountability, and Transparency, where he conducted fieldwork auditing the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This experience deepened his interest in addressing the "black box" of policy implementation and the persistent gaps between economic research and on-the-ground outcomes.

His undergraduate thesis investigated the determinants of unemployment duration in India using survival analysis, contributing to labor economics literature by examining heterogeneity in joblessness. Additionally, his research portfolio includes experimental work through a randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of behavioral nudges on consumption behavior. At Yale, Roshan seeks to build on his empirical research skills and advance his understanding of policy design and implementation, particularly in the context of developing economies.