Brief Profile
Aswathy Rachel Varughese is Assistant Professor of Economics at the Gulati Institute of
Finance and Taxation (GIFT), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, where she coordinates the
Institute’s research pillar on public expenditure. Her research focuses on the political economy
of fiscal policy, quality and efficiency of public expenditure, intergovernmental transfers,
financing for development, social sector budgeting and disaster risk expenditure in the context
of climate-induced fiscal vulnerabilities. She also deals critically with expenditure
rationalisation strategies and alternatives emerging from evolving macro-fiscal conditions.
She holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies from the Institute for Social and Economic Change
(ISEC), Bangalore, and has previously served as Economist-Manager at Canara Bank and held
academic positions at Cochin University of Science and Technology and Christ University
Bangalore.
Dr. Aswathy was selected as a Study of the United States Institute (SUSI) Scholar in 2024 by
the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, representing India
along with scholars from seventeen developing nations. The fellowship was on U.S. economics
and sustainable development. She was also among the select participants at the 8th Lindau
Nobel Laureate Meeting in Economic Sciences, Germany, 2025.
Her research papers have appeared in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and Scopus
Indexed journals. She contributes opinion articles to national dailies and has presented research
papers at reputed national and international conferences.