Dr. Alok Kumar

Bio

Dr. Alok Kumar received his PhD from Queen’s University. His areas of interest are macroeconomics and development economics.

Interests

• monetary issues
• growth and development
• gender bias and human capital investment
• foreign aid

Courses

• ECON 329, Development and Economics
• ECON 351, Mathematical Economics II: An Introduction to Dynamic Methods
• ECON 401, Advanced Macroeconomic Theory
• ECON 406, Monetary Economics
• ECON 420, Theory of Economic Development
• ECON 501, Macroeconomic Analysis
• ECON 506, Monetary Theory and Policy
• ECON 520, Economic Development
• ECON 552, Macroeconomic Issues

Selected publications

• Kumar, A., 2019. "Subjective household income risks and schooling investment in rural India," Journal of Developing Areas.
• Kumar, A., 2018. "Subjective income expectation and risks in rural India," Journal of Developing Areas.
• Kumar, A. and Shergill, K., 2018. "The dynamics of rural non-farm employment in India," Indian Journal of Labour Economics.
• Kumar, A., 2018. "Income risks and schooling investment in rural Bihar," Ideas for India, International Growth Centre, United Kingdom.
• Kumar, A. and Saqib, N., 2017. "School absenteeism and child labour in rural Bangladesh," Journal of Developing Areas 51(3):299-316.
• Kumar, A., 2016. “Foreign aid, incentives and efficiency: can foreign aid lead to the efficient level of investment?” Review of Development Economics.
• Kumar, A., “One more year of schooling or work: grade-transition and child labor in rural Bangladesh,” Journal of Developing Areas 49(3): 27-48.
• Kumar, A., "Preference based vs. market based discrimination: implications for gender differentials in child labor and schooling," Journal of Development Economics, 2013, 105:64-68.
• Kumar, A. and W. Chan, "Health, education and the dynamics of cross-country productivity differences," Applied Economic Letters, May 2013, 20(12):1160-64.
• Kumar, A., 2012. “Self-employment, efficiency wage and public policies,” Economic Inquiry 50(4):1069-1079.
• “Urbanization, human capital and cross-country productivity differences,” with Brianna Kober, Economic Letters, 2012.
• “Market power, price adjustment and inflation,’’ with Allen Head and Bev Lapham, February 2010, International Economic Review, 51(1):73-98.
• “Inflation and the dispersion of real wages,’’ May 2008, International Economic Review, 49(2):377-399 (lead article).
• “Capital tax, minimum wage and labor market outcomes,’’ January 2008, Review of Economic Dynamics, 11(1):133-154. Among the hottest 25 articles published in Review of Economic Dynamics.
• "Price dispersion, inflation and welfare,” with Allen Head, May 2005, International Economic Review, 46(2), 533-572. Among top 10 most cited papers published in International Economic Review during 2005-08.

Books

• Governance, Social and Physical Infrastructure and Development, editors: Alok Kumar and Adam Scott, September 2011, Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, Germany, ISBN 978-3-8454-7658-2.
• Monetary, Fiscal and Labor Market Policies in Frictional Economies, April 2010, Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, Germany, ISBN 978-3-8383-4828-5. 

Faces of UVic Research video

 In this video, Alok talks about his research work looking at gender bias and human capitol investment.