Suraj Jacob

Suraj Jacob is a Political Economist at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, where he teaches development and policy, and is a CASI Fall 2023 Visiting Scholar. His research draws on his training in political economy and collaborations with anthropologists and development practitioners. Suraj’s research explores development policy, institutions, governance, and social practices. His co-authored book Governing Locally: Institutions, Policies and Implementation in Indian Cities is based on fieldwork in Kerala and Gujarat and explores local autonomy and governance processes through which implementation of decentralization policy diverged from progressive intent. Suraj has published on global and Indian gender politics, food politics, maternal health and domestic violence, and schooling. He recently finished a co-authored book manuscript on social practices and state policy in the context of rural sanitation drawing on ethnographic material from Chhattisgarh. He is currently working on a book project to theorize Indian policy processes grounded in long case histories. Suraj also works with Indian nonprofits on vision, organizational health, program design and learning, and community relations. He previously served as chief executive of Vidya Bhawan in Rajasthan, a 90-year old institution with a staff of 500 reaching underserved populations for education, agricultural improvement, and environment conservation.