Professor Uma Kambhampati

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+44 (0) 118 378 5248
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Head of School
- Head of School
- Professor of Economics
Areas of interest
My research ranges across issues relating to childhood inequalities, particularly in relation to child work and schooling participation, inequalities between girls and boys as well as inequalities across social and religious groups.
I have also worked on women's empowerment and well-being including women's labour market participation, life satisfaction as well as nutritional adequacy. A third strand of my research relates to the issue of well-being and life satisfaction in the UK, including analysis of the extent to which conditions during childhood and youth influence the life satisfaction of adults.
My interests also lie with Gender and Development, Development and Inequalities and Intra-household decision making.
I am an applied development economist. I have worked on a range of socio-economic issues relating to developing countries, both at firm level and at the level of individuals and households. My research relates to inequalities, especially by gender. In recent years, I have worked on
- women’s empowerment and well-being including women’s labour market participation and life satisfaction.
- issues relating to childhood inequalities, particularly in relation to child work and schooling participation, inequalities between girls and boys as well as inequalities across social and religious groups.
- the political economy of welfare provision in India
- firm productivity and industrial growth in developing countries
I have published extensively in all these areas. My research has involved the analysis of relatively large datasets relating to developing countries – India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Indonesia – as well as the UK. These include census data, labour force surveys, consumption surveys and the Demographic and Health Surveys.
Postgraduate supervision
I supervise PhD students on a range of topics from Graduate returns to education in the UK to the impact of education and employment on female empowerment in Bangladesh. I would be delighted to supervise doctoral students on any of my research interests above and am excited to receive interesting proposals in a range of areas within Development Economics including:
- Child labour and schooling
- Impact of institutions on development
- Individual well-being and life satisfaction
- Productivity and competitiveness of manufacturing firms
Background
I arrived in the UK from India in 1981 and joined school in North London. I graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1992 with a BA, MPhil and PhD in Economics. My first lectureship was at the University of East Anglia and I joined Reading in 1998. I am currently a Professor of Economics and Head of the School of Politics Economics and International Relations at the University of Reading.
Academic qualifications
- PhD Economics, 1992, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Economics and Politics
- MPhil. Economics, 1988, University of Cambridge, Queens' College
- BA Economics Tripos, 1987, University of Cambridge, Queens' College
Professional bodies/affiliations
- Development Studies Association, Secretary to Council
- Global Challenges Research Fund, Member of Strategic Advisory Group
- Royal Statistical Society, Member of Council
- International Association for Feminist Economics, Publications Committee Member
- Editorial Board member, Feminist Economics
- Co-Editor, European Journal of Development Research
- Centre for Institutions and Economic History
Publications
- Bali Swain, R. , Kambhampati, U. , Karimu, A. (2022) Regulation, governance and the role of the informal sector in influencing environmental quality. In: Bali Swain, R. and Kambhampati, U. , (eds.) The Informal Sector and the Environment. Routledge Studies in Ecological Economics Ecological Economics pp. 16-41. ISSN: 0921-8009 ISBN: 9781032122663 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003223856-2
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Bali Swain, R.
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Kambhampati, U.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5906-2394 , eds. (2022) The informal sector and the environment. Routledge Studies in Ecological Economics Routledge , London. pp 222. ISBN: 9781032122663 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003223856
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Kailthya, S.
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Kambhampati, U.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5906-2394 (2022) Political competition and public healthcare: evidence from India. World Development , 153 ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105820
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Kailthya, S.
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Kambhampati, U.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5906-2394 (2022) Road to productivity: effects of roads on total factor productivity in Indian manufacturing. Journal of Comparative Economics , 50 (1). pp. 174-195. ISSN: 0147-5967 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2021.08.001
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Gschwandtner, A.
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Jewell, S.
ORCID: 0000-0002-4413-6618 , Kambhampati, U. (2022) Lifestyle and life satisfaction: the role of delayed gratification. Journal of Happiness Studies , 23 pp. 1043-1072. ISSN: 1573-7780 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00440-y
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Hui, N.
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Kambhampati, U.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5906-2394 (2022) Between unfreedoms: the role of caste in decision to return among indentured workers. Economic History Review , 75 (2). pp. 421-446. ISSN: 1468-0289 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ehr.13115
- Kambhampati, U. and Utesch-Xiong, F. (2022) Determinants of Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa. Journal of African Business , 23 (4). pp. 833-850. ISSN: 1522-9076 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2021.1954446
- Asadullah, N. and Kambhampati, U. (2021) Feminization of farming, food security and female empowerment. Global Food Security , 29 ISSN: 2211-9124 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100532
- Garikipati, S. and Kambhampati, U. (2021) Leading the fight against the pandemic: does gender ‘really’ matter?. Feminist Economics , 27 (1-2). ISSN: 1466-4372 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2021.1874614
- Hossain, M. , Asadullah, N. , Kambhampati, U. (2021) Women's empowerment and gender-differentiated food allocation in Bangladesh. Review of Economics of the Household , 19 pp. 739-767. ISSN: 1573-7152 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11150-021-09546-x
- Bhalotra, S. , Kambhampati, U. , Rawlings, S. , Siddique, Z. (2021) Intimate partner violence: the influence of job opportunities for men and women. The World Bank Economic Review , 35 (2). pp. 461-479. ISSN: 0258-6770 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhz030
- Karapınar Kocağa, E. and Kambhampati, U. (2020) The impact of immigration on employment: the case of turkey. The Empirical Economics Letters , 19 (8). ISSN: 1681-8997
- Bali Swain, R. , Kambhampati, U. , Karimu, A. (2020) Regulation, governance and the role of the informal sector in influencing environmental quality?. Ecological Economics , 173 ISSN: 0921-8009 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106649
- Hui, N. and Kambhampati, U. (2020) Stigma and labour market outcomes: sex work and domestic work in India. Journal of Development Studies , 56 (1). pp. 112-128. ISSN: 1743-9140 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2018.1564906
- Asadullah, N. , Hossain, M. , Kambhampati, U. (2019) Empowerment and life satisfaction: evidence from Bangladesh. World Development , 122 pp. 170-183. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.05.013
- Zhang, D. , Morse, S. , Kambhampati, U. (2018) Sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. Earthscan Routledge , Milton, Abingdon, Oxon. pp 269. ISBN: 9781138810440
- Fernandez, A. and Kambhampati, U. (2017) Shared agency: the dominant spouse’s impact on education expenditure. World Development , 96 pp. 182-197. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.03.006
- De Giusti, G. and Kambhampati, U. (2016) Women's work choices in Kenya: the role of social institutions and household gender attitudes. Feminist Economics , 22 (2). pp. 87-113. ISSN: 1466-4372 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2015.1115531
- Hui, N. , Kailthya, S. , Kambhampati, U. (2015) Infrastructural development and firm efficiency in India (1999–2007). Review of Development and Change , 20 (2). pp. 137-164. ISSN: 0972-2661
- Kambhampati, U. (2015) Industrial development in India. In: Weiss, J. and Tribe, M. , (eds.) Handbook of Industry and Development. Routledge , London. pp. 335-349. ISBN: 9780415819695
- Fernandez, A. , Della Giusta, M. , Kambhampati, U. (2015) The intrinsic value of agency: the case of Indonesia. World Development , 70 (C). pp. 92-107. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.12.020
- Jewell, S. and Kambhampati, U. (2015) Are happy youth also satisfied adults? An analysis of the impact of childhood factors on adult life satisfaction. Social Indicators Research , 121 (2). pp. 543-567. ISSN: 1573-0921 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0642-6
- Zhang, D. , Morse, S. , Kambhampati, U. , Li, B. (2014) Evolving corporate social responsibility in China. Sustainability , 6 (11). pp. 7646-7665. ISSN: 2071-1050 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su6117646
- Asadullah, M. , Kambhampati, U. , Lopez Boo, F. (2014) Social divisions in school participation and attainment in India: 1983-2004. Cambridge Journal of Economics , 38 (4). pp. 869-893. ISSN: 1464-3545 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cje/bet006
- Kambhampati, U. (2012) Child labour in rural India: the experience of the 1990s. In: Pushpangadan, K. and Balasubramanyam, V. , (eds.) Growth, development and diversity: India's record since liberalization. Oxford University Press India , New Delhi, India. pp. 113-146. ISBN: 9780198077998
- Della Giusta, M. , Jewell, S. , Kambhampati, U. (2011) Gender and life satisfaction in the UK. Feminist Economics , 17 (3). pp. 1-34. ISSN: 1466-4372 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2011.582028
- Crost, B. and Kambhampati, U. (2010) Political market characteristics and the provision of educational infrastructure in North India. World Development , 38 (2). pp. 195-204. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.10.013
- Casson, M. , Della Giusta, M. , Kambhampati, U. (2010) Formal and informal institutions and development. World Development , 38 (2). pp. 137-141. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.10.008
- Kambhampati, U. (2009) Child schooling and work decisions in India: the role of household and regional gender equity. Feminist Economics , 15 (4). pp. 77-112. ISSN: 1466-4372 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13545700903153997
- Kambhampati, U. and Kattuman, P. (2009) Growth responses to competitive shocks: market structure dynamics under liberalisation. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics , 20 (2). pp. 114-125. ISSN: 0954349X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2009.01.002
- Kambhampati, U. and Rajan, R. (2008) The 'nowhere' children: patriarchy and the role of girls in India's rural economy. Journal of Development Studies , 44 (9). pp. 1309-1341. ISSN: 1743-9140 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00220380802264978
- Kalyuzhnova, Y. and Kambhampati, U. (2008) The determinants of individual happiness in Kazakhstan. Economic Systems , 32 (3). pp. 285-299. ISSN: 0939-3625 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecosys.2008.02.001
- Kambhampati, U. and McCann, P. (2007) Regional performance and characteristics of Indian manufacturing industry. Regional Studies , 41 (3). pp. 281-294. ISSN: 1360-0591 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00343400701282111
- Kalyuzhnova, Y. and Kambhampati, U. (2007) Education or employment - choices facing young people in Kazakhstan. Journal of International Development , 19 (5). pp. 607-626. ISSN: 1099-1328 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jid.1343
- Zhang, D. , Kambhampati, U. , Morse, S. (2007) Economic growth and the environment in transitional China - an old topic with new perspectives. Journal for International Development , 19 (6). pp. 765-779. ISSN: 1099-1328 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jid.1406
- Kambhampati, U. and Rajan, R. (2006) Economic growth: a panacea for child labour?. World Development , 34 (3). pp. 426-445. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2005.08.010
- Kambhampati, U. and Rajan, R. (2006) Economic growth: a panacea for child labor?. World Development , 34 (3). pp. 426-445. ISSN: 0305-750X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2005.08.010
- Kambhampati, U. (2006) Financial liberalisation, corporate governance and the efficiency of firms in Indian manufacturing. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics , 17 (1). pp. 46-69. ISSN: 0954-349X | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2005.02.001
- Della Giusta, M. and Kambhampati, U. (2006) Women migrant workers in the UK: social capital, well-being and integration. Journal of International Development , 18 (6). pp. 819-833. ISSN: 0954-1748 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jid.1316
- Della Giusta, M. , Kambhampati, U. , Wade, R. , eds. (2006) Critical perspectives on globalization. The globalization of the world economy series Edward Elgar , Cheltenham. pp 688. ISBN: 9781845421762
- Kambhampati, U. , Morse, S. , Bennett, R. , Ismael, Y. (2006) Farm-level performance of genetically modified cotton: a frontier analysis of cotton production in Maharashtra. Outlook on Agriculture , 35 (4). pp. 291-297. ISSN: 0030-7270 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.5367/000000006779398254
- Bennett, R. , Kambhampati, U. , Morse, S. , Ismael, Y. (2006) Farm-level economic performance of genetically modified cotton in Maharashtra, India. Review of Agricultural Economics , 28 (1). pp. 59-71. ISSN: 1058-7195 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9353.2006.00273.x
- Kambhampati, U. , Morse, S. , Bennett, R. , Ismael, Y. (2005) Perceptions of the impacts of genetically modified cotton varieties: a case study of the cotton industry in Gujarat, India . AgBioForum , 8 (2-3). ISSN: 1522-936X
- Kambhampati, U. and Parikh, A. (2005) Has liberalization affected profit margins in Indian industry?. Bulletin of Economic Research , 57 (3). pp. 273-304. ISSN: 1467-8586 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0307-3378.2005.00224.x
- Kambhampati, U. , Morse, S. , Bennett, R. , Ismael, Y. (2005) Perceptions of the impacts of genetically modified cotton varieties: a case study of the cotton industry in Gujarat, India. AgBioForum , 8 (2&3). pp. 161-171.
- Kambhampati, U. (2004) Development and the developing world. Polity Press , Cambridge. pp 312. ISBN: 9780745615509
- Bennett, R. , Ismael, Y. , Kambhampati, U. , Morse, S. (2004) Economic impact of genetically modified cotton in India. AgBioForum , 7 (3). pp. 96-100. ISSN: 1522-936X
- Driffield, N. and Kambhampati, U. (2003) Efficiency of Firms in Indian Industry: The Effect of Reforms. Review of Development Economics , 7 (3). pp. 419-430. ISSN: 1467-9361
- Kambhampati, U. and Parikh, A. (2003) Disciplining firms: the impact of trade reforms on profit margins in Indian industry. Applied Economics , 35 (4). pp. 461-470. ISSN: 1466-4283 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00036840210155177
- Kambhampati, U. (2003) Trade reforms and the efficiency of firms in India. Oxford Development Studies , 31 (2). pp. 219-233. ISSN: 1469-9966 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13600810307429
- Kambhampati, U. (2002) The Software Industry And Development: The Case Of India. Progress in Development Studies , 2 (1). pp. 23-45. ISSN: 1477-027X
- Kambhampati, U. and Pal, S. (2001) Role of Parental Literacy in Explaining Gender Difference: Evidence from Child Schooling in India. European Journal of Development Research , 13 (2). pp. 97-119. ISSN: 0957-8811
- Kambhampati, U. (2000) Industry Competitiveness: Leadership Identity and Market Shares. Applied Economics Letters , 7 pp. 569-573. ISSN: 1466-4291
- Howell, J. and Kambhampati, U. (1999) Liberalisation and Labour: The Fate of Retrenched Workers in the Cotton Textile Industry in India. Oxford Development Studies , 27 (1). pp. 109-127. ISSN: 1469-9966
- Kambhampati, U. (1998) Duration of Industry Leadership. Applied Economics Letters , 5 (2). pp. 559-562. ISSN: 1466-4291
- Howell, J. and Kambhampati, U. (1998) Liberalisation and Labour: The Effect on Formal Sector Workers. Journal of International Development , 10 (4). pp. 439. -452. ISSN: 1099-1328
- Kambhampati, U. (1998) Market Structure Dynamics in Indian Industry?. Bulletin of Economic Research , 50 (2). pp. 133-153. ISSN: 1467-8586
- Kambhampati, U. , Krishna, P. , Mitra, D. (1997) The Impact of Trade Policy Reforms on Labour Markets: Evidence from India. Journal of International Trade and Economic Development , 6 (2). pp. 287-297.
- Kambhampati, U. (1996) Industrial concentration and performance : a study of the structure, conduct, and performance of Indian industry. Oxford University Press , New Delhi, India. pp 212. ISBN: 195639472
- Kambhampati, U. (1995) The Persistence of Profit Differentials in Indian Industry. Applied Economics , 27 (4). pp. 353-261. ISSN: 1466-4283
- Kambhampati, U. (1994) The Changing Structure of the Manufacturing Sector in India (1974-85). Indian Journal of Applied Economics , 4 (1). pp. 25-44.