Dr Tanu Gupta is Lecturer in Economics at University of Southampton Delhi. Previously, she worked as Visiting Assistant Professor at Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), New Delhi. Her research focuses on labor, environment, identity and agriculture. She holds a PhD in Economics from the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai and was a Visiting PhD Fellow at UNU-WIDER, Helsinki. She completed her master’s in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, Delhi. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals of international standing and has received competitive research grants. She is affiliated with the Centre for Research on the Economics of Climate, Food, Energy and Environment (CECFEE) and is a member of Women in Environmental Economics for Development (WinEED).
She holds a PhD in Economics from the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) in Mumbai and was a Visiting PhD Scholar at UNU-WIDER in Helsinki. She earned her Master’s degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics.
Her work uses applied econometric techniques alongside experimental and quasi-experimental methods, drawing on both primary field experiments and large-scale household survey data. Her research interests span labour economics, environmental economics, gender and identity, and agriculture, examining how social norms, infrastructure, and environmental shocks shape gendered outcomes in labour markets, time use, and human capital investment.
She has received competitive research grants from international organisations like J-PAL at MIT and ICIMOD in support of her ongoing work. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals of international standing, and she serves as a referee for several leading journals. She regularly presents her work at international conferences and is affiliated with the Centre for Research on the Economics of Climate, Food, Energy and Environment (CECFEE) and is a member of Women in Environmental Economics for Development (WinEED).
“We study the linkages between local rural electrification, activity participation and time use of individuals in rural Bangladesh.” (with Md. Tajuddin Khan and Digvijay S. Negi),Energy Economics, 2025
“A long history of empirical research has focused on testing whether and when household consumption and production decisions are separable. If markets were perfect, household consumption would be independent of production.”(with Sudha Narayanan and Digvijay S. Negi), Agricultural Economics, 2023
“Gender equality has long been a cornerstone of societal progress. In India, where traditional norms often limit women’s participation in the labor market, the conversation around equal inheritance reform takes center stage.” February 1, 2024, Environment for Development (EfD)
“Despite several initiatives, there remains a considerable gender gap in the domain of vocational training, revealing a striking difference in skill acquisition between men and women.” February 19, 2024, India Spend
“A key reason for women’s low labour force participation in developing countries is the burden of unpaid domestic work. Analysing data from rural Bangladesh, this article assesses whether electrification can make a difference by increasing access to time-saving technologies.” March 5, 2025, IWD 2025 Series, Ideas For India
This research aims to estimate the price elasticity of demand for electric cooking in rural areas. We also aim to identify the degree of substitution away from traditional solid fuels when electric cooking is accessible.
Despite rapid economic growth since 1990’s, declining fertility, and an increase in education of women in India over the past three decades, the workforce participation rate for women aged 25-60 in the country continues to remain low at 27%.
Using high-resolution satellite-derivedPM2.5data and nationally representative employment surveys, we estimate theimpact of short-term exposure to PM2.5levels on work hours and earnings.
“Gender equality has long been a cornerstone of societal progress. In India, where traditional norms often limit women’s participation in the labor market, the conversation around equal inheritance reform takes center stage.” February 1, 2024, Environment for Development (EfD)
