Manmohan Agarwal, Background

A native of Calcutta, India, Manmohan Agarwal is an international economist by trade, holding economics degrees from Calcutta University (B.A.), the Delhi School of Economics (M.A.) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Ph.D.). While he was at MIT, Manmohan joined the World Bank as an economist, eventually leaving the institute to work on stabilization and development strategies for the Bank’s Latin American department.

In 1979, Manmohan returned to India to teach at the Centre for International Trade and Development in the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Throughout his tenure at JNU, Manmohan was active in researching and publishing on a wide range of economic topics, from agricultural productivity in Africa to Indian trade negotiations and economic growth in Latin America. During his stint at JNU, he continued to work as a consultant for the World Bank as well as being a senior economist with the International Monetary Fund. Before joining CIGI, Manmohan was the dean of JNU’s School of International Studies.

In the late 1980s, Manmohan spent time at the University of Western Ontario as a visiting professor, researching the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations with John Whalley (now a CIGI distinguished fellow). In 2005, Manmohan participated in a CIGI conference on economic growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) countries.

Since joining CIGI, Manmohan has focused his research on the growth of emerging economies and their role in the global economy and international development. In 2009, he edited the book India’s Economic Future, and he has also contributed numerous papers, policy briefs and commentaries on the role of developing countries within the G20.

In his spare time, Manmohan travels back to India to visit family, and also enjoys following a variety of sports. He is fluent in English, Hindi and Bengali.