Samarth Gupta obtained his PhD in Economics from Boston University in 2018. Prior to joining Ahmedabad University, Samarth was an Associate Fellow at the National Council of Applied Economic Research where he was conducted research in several areas of Public Policy such as alcohol taxation and pricing strategy, Direct Benefit Transfers, and an analysis of gig workers in the Platform economy. 

Samarth’s current research interest lie primarily in the field of Development Economics, and particularly in the subject of financial inclusion. In his work, he explores what determines a rural enterprise to borrow from Self Help Groups as opposed to informal lenders, and the impact on entrepreneurship and employment when a commercial bank branch opens in a neighbourhood of a village. Currently, he is working on key projects in Industrial Organisation. This includes a project on estimating the response of private retailers when public pharmacies enter the market.

• Bhandari, B., Gupta, S., Sahu, A.K. et al. Business sentiments during India’s national lockdown: Lessons for second and potential third wave. Indian Economic Review (2021). 

• Industrial Organisation