Naren Prasad

Naren Prasad is a Research Co-ordinator at UNRISD. He co-ordinates research projects in the area of Markets, Business and Regulation and of Social Policy & Development. He is in charge of the “privatisation of public services” project related to water, education, and health. This project analyses the impact of private sector participation (PSP) on the poor in terms of access to the service and affordability of the service. Work on the water project is coming to an end and research on education and health starts in 2007. He is also responsible for developing the “Social policy index” (SPI) project. SPI is a composite index which intends to measure a country’s priorities in terms of social policy. He is also developing a new project on “social policies in small states”.

Before joining UNRISD in 2005, Naren worked with various United Nations agencies. He worked as a programme specialist with UNESCO for the Asia Pacific region (based in Bangkok) from 1998-2003. Naren has also worked with the ILO as an economist in Geneva. He is one of the authors of the World Employment Report 2004-05: Productivity, Employment and Poverty.

Naren Prasad holds a doctorate in Economics from the University of Paris (Panthéon-Assas Paris II). He studied comparative development, applied social sciences, and applied mathematics at French universities. He has a keen interest in research in economic development issues facing developing countries. He is an executive member of the International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA).

Selected recent publications:

• 2006, Perils of unmanaged exports growth: Fiji’s kava sector, Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 381-394
• 2006, Privatisation results: private sector participation (PSP) in water services after 15 years, Development Policy Review, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 669-692 (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/dpr)
• 2004, World Employment Report, Productivity, employment and poverty, ILO, (co-author); (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/wer2004.htm)
• 2004, Escaping Regulation, Escaping Convention: development strategies in small economies, World Economics, Vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 41-65; (http://www.world-economics-journal.com/default.asp)
• 2003, Small Islands’ Quest for Economic Development, Asia-Pacific Development Journal, Vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 47-67; (http://www.unescap.org/)
• 2000, Change in Continuity – concepts and tools for taking a cultural approach to development, UNESCO, (co-author); 1999, Land tenure system and economic development in the South Pacific, UNESCO Working paper 1995.