Akhil Alha is an Assistant Professor at Council for Social Development, New Delhi since June 2014. His research focusses on the political economy of development, socio-economic inequality, agrarian economy, public policy, platform economy, and developmental budgeting for marginalized communities. Akhil has a number of research publications to his credit published in some of the reputed academic journals.
In CSD, he has led a number of research projects as project director or team leader; the most noticeable being Status and Pathways for portability in Cash and In-kind Transfers in India with a funding support from KFW Development Bank, Germany. He has also carried out three studies with the funding support from the ICSSR. First of these studies captured transformations in agrarian relations in India during the period of agrarian crisis with a particular focus on tenancy relations, changing nature of agricultural labour contracts, and expansion of non-farm employment. The second study focused on the status of Scheduled Caste entrepreneurship in India, and the challenges posed before SC entrepreneurs from the agencies of the state, market and society. It also engaged with an important question of the impact of deregulation of the economy on the growth prospects of SC entrepreneurship. The third, and the ongoing study is focused at examining the role of caste and gender in defining outcomes in gig economy in India.
He is regularly invited to deliver lectures in capacity building and research methodology courses on data handling using STATA, academic writing, research design and conducting primary survey-based research. Training modules developed by him on primary survey research are adopted in different research institutions.
Akhil is also associated with a few farmers’ and Ambedkarite movements at the grassroot level in Rajasthan.
Akhil Alha’s CV
Land Leasing in Kerala: Fresh Evidences from a Field Survey, submitted to Social Change (a SCOPUS indexed peer-reviewed journal of Sage Publication) in January 2020, reviewer’s feedback received, working on it.
A Story of a peasant Struggle in Jiwandesar, Rajasthan: Origin, Evolution and the Current Status, Economic and Political Weekly (a SCOPUS indexed peer reviewed journal), Vol. 55, Issue No 40, October 3, 2020, pp. 19-21.
Non-farm Diversification and Agrarian Change: A Story of a Semi-arid Village in Rajasthan, Social Change, Vol. 50, Issue No 2, June 2020, pp 254-271.
Features of the Agrarian Market in Odisha: Insights from a Field Survey, Man and Development (a UGC-CARE listed peer-reviewed journal of CRRID Chandigarh), Vol. XLII No. 1, March 2020.
Production Organisation and Capitalist Labour Process: Timber-based Industry in Rajasthan,Man & Development, Vol. 41, Issue No 1, March, 2019.
The Other Side of Caste as Social Capital, Social Change, Vol. 48, Issue No. 4, December, 2018.
Impact of MGNREGA on a Tightened Labour Market, Social Change, Sage Publication, Delhi, Vol. 47, Issue No. 4, December, 2017.
On some Aspects of Labour Migration and Remittances Inflow; An Indian Experience, Manpower (a peer-reviewed Journal of National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development, Delhi), Vol. XLVII, numbers 2-4, April- December, 2012.
Recent Development in Farm labour Availability in India and Reasons for its Short Supply (co-authored with Bijoyata Yonzon), Agricultural Economics Research Review (a peer-reviewed Journal of Agricultural Economics Research Association, Delhi with an Research IF of 0.194), Conference Vol. 24, November, 2011.
Limits of Bargaining: Capital, Labour and the State in Contemporary India by Achin Chakraborty, Subhanil Chowdhary, Suparna Banerjee and Zaad Mahmood, Contemporary South Asia, 28:4, pp. 527-528, December 2020.
Uncertain Journeys: Labour Migration from South Asia edited by A.S. Panneerselvan, Social Change, Vol. 50, Issue No 3, September 2020, pp 491-493.
Contesting Marginalisations: Conversations on Ambedkarism and Social Justice by Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Social Change, Vol. 49, Issue No. 4, December, 2019.
A Journey of India’s Agriculture and Rural Development through Gilbert Etienne’s Work (review essay of five books of Prof Gilbert Ettiene), Shodh Mimamsa, Varanasi, October-December 2017.
‘No Indian Institution is free from Caste-based Discrimination in Interviews and Viva-voce’, thewire.com, December 18, 2021.
‘Barking up the Wrong Tree: Scrapping Labour Laws to Combat Economic Slowdown in Corona Times ’, online edition of Outlook (www.outlookindia.com), May 16, 2020.
‘Why there is a rise in farm labour suicides’, online edition of Outlook (www.outlookindia.com), July 31, 2018.
Land Leasing in Kerala: Fresh Evidences from a Field Survey, submitted to Social Change (a SCOPUS indexed peer-reviewed journal of Sage Publication) in January 2020, reviewer’s feedback received, working on it.
A Story of a peasant Struggle in Jiwandesar, Rajasthan: Origin, Evolution and the Current Status, Economic and Political Weekly (a SCOPUS indexed peer reviewed journal), Vol. 55, Issue No 40, October 3, 2020, pp. 19-21.
Non-farm Diversification and Agrarian Change: A Story of a Semi-arid Village in Rajasthan, Social Change, Vol. 50, Issue No 2, June 2020, pp 254-271.
Features of the Agrarian Market in Odisha: Insights from a Field Survey, Man and Development (a UGC-CARE listed peer-reviewed journal of CRRID Chandigarh), Vol. XLII No. 1, March 2020.
Production Organisation and Capitalist Labour Process: Timber-based Industry in Rajasthan,Man & Development, Vol. 41, Issue No 1, March, 2019.
The Other Side of Caste as Social Capital, Social Change, Vol. 48, Issue No. 4, December, 2018.
Impact of MGNREGA on a Tightened Labour Market, Social Change, Sage Publication, Delhi, Vol. 47, Issue No. 4, December, 2017.
On some Aspects of Labour Migration and Remittances Inflow; An Indian Experience, Manpower (a peer-reviewed Journal of National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development, Delhi), Vol. XLVII, numbers 2-4, April- December, 2012.
Recent Development in Farm labour Availability in India and Reasons for its Short Supply (co-authored with Bijoyata Yonzon), Agricultural Economics Research Review (a peer-reviewed Journal of Agricultural Economics Research Association, Delhi with an Research IF of 0.194), Conference Vol. 24, November, 2011.
Limits of Bargaining: Capital, Labour and the State in Contemporary India by Achin Chakraborty, Subhanil Chowdhary, Suparna Banerjee and Zaad Mahmood, Contemporary South Asia, 28:4, pp. 527-528, December 2020.
Uncertain Journeys: Labour Migration from South Asia edited by A.S. Panneerselvan, Social Change, Vol. 50, Issue No 3, September 2020, pp 491-493.
Contesting Marginalisations: Conversations on Ambedkarism and Social Justice by Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Social Change, Vol. 49, Issue No. 4, December, 2019.
A Journey of India’s Agriculture and Rural Development through Gilbert Etienne’s Work (review essay of five books of Prof Gilbert Ettiene), Shodh Mimamsa, Varanasi, October-December 2017.
‘No Indian Institution is free from Caste-based Discrimination in Interviews and Viva-voce’, thewire.com, December 18, 2021.
‘Barking up the Wrong Tree: Scrapping Labour Laws to Combat Economic Slowdown in Corona Times ’, online edition of Outlook (www.outlookindia.com), May 16, 2020.
‘Why there is a rise in farm labour suicides’, online edition of Outlook (www.outlookindia.com), July 31, 2018.