Dr. Rajesh Many

Dr. Rajesh Many is an Assistant Professor at SGTDS, Mahatma Gandhi University, who has expertise in the field of development studies. He teaches and supervises students in various areas of development studies such as Applied Economics, Development Economics, Gandhian Economics, Social Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Theories. Dr. Many’s current research work is focused on areas such as Technology and Human Development, Digital Humanities, Information Economy, Digital Economy, Cyber Ethics and Security, Policy Studies, Social Innovations and Transformative Change, and African Studies. His wide-ranging research interests highlight his commitment to exploring and contributing to various aspects of human development, innovation, and technology.

Prior to joining SGTDS, Rajesh was a Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Postdoctoral Fellow at the DST/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI), University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa. He taught at UJ to M.Phil students in economics and supervised honours and M.Phil students for their thesis on economics. He has also worked as an expert member in designing economics courses related to innovation and teaching at UJ.

Rajesh has a PhD from Mahatma Gandhi University in International Relations with a specialization in Economics of Innovation and M.Phil in Applied Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. During his postdoctoral research at the UJ, he focused his research on topics related to community practices of innovation and inclusive industrialization in South Africa, transformative innovation policies, digital economy, and university innovation systems. His doctorate focused on India’s national innovation system during the post-economic liberalization period and its impact on agricultural sector.

Rajesh has acquired extensive research experience in the social and economic sectors over the past 10 years and has worked for various national and international institutions and policymaking bodies. He has worked for the World Bank and the Kerala State Planning Board. During his tenure at the World Bank, he coordinated the two major water sector impact assessment projects in the State of Kerala and Punjab in India. He also successfully completed his analytical assignments related to Gender Innovation Lab for South Asia (GILSA) projects, and the World Bank supported program for Kerala Local Government Service Delivery Project (KLGSDP). At the Kerala State Planning Board, he has been actively engaged in several key research projects and policy oriented development studies. He has also completed several successful academic research projects with the University of Manchester, the Indian Institute of Management, the Center for Development Studies, the Kerala Institute of Labour and Employment, etc.

He is a member of international academic networks such as the Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (Globelics); and African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics). He is also a reviewer for international journals such as the Journal of Innovation and Development (Taylor Group and Francis) and International Journal of Corporate Governance (Inderscience Publishers). Rajesh presented his research in various international fora such as Bangladesh, Finland, Nigeria, Greece, Ghana and South Africa. He has also received short-term international scholarships to participate academic programmes in the University of Tampere, Finland, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and University of Pretoria, South Africa.

A few of his important publication details can be found below.

An Appraisal of Aadhaar and Digital Payments Strategies in India (with Ajit Dayanandan, University of Alaska Anchorage, United States), IGI Global, Pennsylvania, USA

The Alcohol Paradox: Revisiting the Kerala Model of Development. In Irudaya Rajan (Ed.), 11th India Migration Report 2020. New Delhi, India: Routledge

Determinants of Transformative Social Innovation Systems in Developing Countries: Evidence from Kudumbashree Poverty Alleviation Programme in Kerala, India. Johannesburg, South Africa:  SARChI Industrial Development, University of Johannesburg

Innovation among Micro and Small Enterprises in the City of Johannesburg. Johannesburg, South Africa:  SARChI Industrial Development, University of Johannesburg.

The Causes of Crisis in the Cashew Industry Cluster in Kollam (Government of Kerala). Thiruvananthapuram, India: Kerala Institute of Labour and Employment (KILE).

Migration, Remittances and the Kerala Economy. In Rajeev Bharathan (Ed.), Kerala Economy: Challenges and Prospects. Thrissur, India: COSMO Books (Jointly with Ajit dayanandan).

Sustainability of Demand Responsive Approaches to Rural Water Supply. Washington, DC, USA: The World Bank

Information Technology Agreement of WTO: Call for a Revisit, International Journal of South Asian Studies, 6(2), 255-287 (Jointly with K J Joseph).

The Emergency of ICT-based Development Strategy in India: An Analysis of Policy and Outcome. In B.A Prakash (Ed.), The Indian Economy Since 1991: Economic Reforms and Performance (pp.  432-459). New Delhi, India: Pearson International.

You can reach him at r.many@mgu.ac.in or manyrajesh@gmail.com.