Dr. Shyam Nath

Dr. Shyam Nath currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the School of Business, Amritapuri. His research interests and publications are in the field of public finance, development economics and environmental and natural resource economics. He has published extensively and presented several papers in international conferences. He has more than 30 years of teaching experience at University level in India and abroad and 20 years of active participation in consultancy and research for national and regional governments and international agencies (UNDP, UNCDF, The World Bank, UNU/WIDER, USAID, UNRISD, ECA, AERC, Commonwealth Secretariat).

He is presently engaged in a research project "Globalization, Climate Change and Urban Public Finance" as ICSSR Senior Fellow. The project is funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India).

PRESENT AFFILIATION

• Director, Amrita Center for Economics and Governance, Amritapuri, Kerala
• Adjunct Professor, Amrita School of Business, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala
• ICSSR Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, New Delhi

EARLIER AFFILIATION

• Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Republic of Mauritius (1990-2008)
• Member and Adviser, African Economic Research Consortium International, Nairobi, Kenya (1998-2007)
• Visiting Researcher/ Professor, Center for African Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA (2010-2011)
• Overseas Consultant, Environmental and Natural Resource Challenges, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, UK (2007-2011)
• Overseas Consultant, Social Policy in Small States, UN Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva, Switzerland (2007-2012)
• Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, New York, USA (1979-80)
• National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi (1976-1990)
• University of Rajasthan (1965-1975)
• Banaras Hindu University (1964-1965)

ACADEMIC RECORD AND QUALIFICATIONS

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS:

• ICSSR Senior Fellowship, Indian Council of Social science Research (2013-13)
• Ford Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Economics, 1979-80
• ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research) National Doctoral Fellowship, New Delhi (1973-1976)
• WAGLE Gold Medal and BHU Gold Medal for standing FIRST at M. A. Economics Examination of Banaras Hindu University, 1964
• BHU Prize for standing FIRST in Economics at B. A. (Hons) Final Year Examination of Banaras Hindu University, 1962/li>

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Dean, Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities, University of Mauritius (Part Time and Full Time), 2001-2002
• Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, 1990- 2008
• Fellow, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, 1984-90
• Faculty Associate, Metropolitan Studies Program, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University (New York, USA), 1979-80
• Senior Economist, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, 1976-79
• ICSSR Teacher Fellow, University of Rajasthan, Department of Economics, 1974-76
• Lecturer in Economics, University of Rajasthan, B. V. College of Arts and Science, 1965-73
• Lecturer/Research Scholar in Economics, Banaras Hindu University, 1964-65

TEACHING EXPERIENCE (30 Years)

Public Finance and Public Economics (BSc Honours and MSc), Development Economics (BSc Honours), Microeconomics (BSc Honours), Applied Micro Economics (MSc), Environmental Economics (MSc), Econometrics and Econometric Modelling (BSc Honours and MSc), Statistics (BA and MA), Managerial Economics (BSc and MBA), International Banking (MA)

SUPERVISION OF PhD RESEARCH (10)

University of Mauritius, Banaras Hindu University, University of Rajasthan.

AREAS OF PhD RESEARCH SUPERVISION

Economics of Water Utilities, Municipal Finance, Macro Economics of Public Budgets, Economics of Social Security Budgets, Public Expenditure Analysis, Monetary and Banking Policy, Labor Market Analysis, Foreign Direct Investment

Publications

Publication Type: Journal Article

Year of Publication	Title
2019	Sougata Ray, Dr. Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra, and Shyam Nath, “Over-indebtedness and its drivers among microfinance borrowers in India”, Economic and Political Weekly (ABDC - B Category), vol. 54, no. 7, pp. 47-54, 2019.[Abstract] In microfinance markets worldwide, over-indebtedness among borrowers and households has emerged as an important concern. Over-indebtedness, measured in terms of sacrifices made by households, is high in both rural and urban India. Factors statistically significant in explaining over-indebtedness are the borrower’s age and financial literacy; the household’s entrepreneurial activity, income level, and spatial location; and the proportion of dependent members in a household. More »»
2014	Yeti N. Madhoo and Shyam Nath, “Beneficiary Charges: The Cinderella of Subnational Finance”, Taxation and Development: The Weakest Link? Essays in Honor of Roy Bahl, R. Bird and J. Martinez-Vazquez (eds.), pp. 364-402, 2014.[Abstract] The revenue objective to cover the identifiable costs (in full or partly) is important with respect to both fees and charges. All revenue sources – taxes, fees, fines and user charges – are instruments of cost recovery to meet the financial obligations of public administration and the public and private supply of public goods and services. In the case of publicly supplied local goods, such as public administration, public education, health services, street lighting and sanitation, cost recovery may not be the dominant objective. But cost recovery is tremendously significant in the case of privately supplied local public goods, such as water supply, sewerage, electricity and telephone. In recent years, user fees and charges have gained significance at the sub-national level mainly because of hard local budget constraints. Recession resulted in drastic cuts in intergovernmental transfers and reduced access to market loans. According to the 2009 International City and County Management (ICMA) State Survey in the US, for instance, 46 percent of reporting local governments increased existing fees by 23 percent and added new levies for additional funds (Ebel and Petersen, 2012). While these trends are encouraging, there is no systematic research to assess the efficacy of local government in collecting fees and user charges vis-à-vis performance of other institutional arrangements such as off- budget supply and privatization. The structure of this paper is as follows. Section 2 discusses the principles and practices of user fees and charges and their revenue potential. Section 3 analyzes factors adversely impacting the growth of beneficiary charges in local government budgets, including the centralization of revenue, intergovernmental fiscal transfers, and alternative fiscal strategies such as tax earmarking and piggybacking. Section 4 examines the trade-off between budgetary and privatization regimes of water supply and the efficacy of cost recovery policies. Section 5 More »» beneficiary-charges-cinderella-subnational-finance.pdf
2013	Yeti N. Madhoo and Shyam Nath, “Ethnic Diversity, Development and Social Policy in Small States”, UNRISD Research Paper (Geneva), vol. 2, 2013.[Abstract] The present study critically examines social policy performance in Mauritius in terms of the quality of institutions, overall resources of the government, social welfare orientation of government budgets and ethnic balance in social policy formulation. The historical roots of colonization and political developments are analysed to assess their impacts on social policies. Part 2 of the study portrays the colonial history and politics, and part 3 describes post-independence political developments that have marked the economic and social trajectories. Part 4 depicts the social situation in terms of social indicators during different phases of development and economic transformation. Part 5 contains an assessment of the budgetary performance of social policy. Part 6 examines the institutional foundations to meet the social policy challenges. The discussion in this section is carried out in the light of the alternative strands of literature, namely participatory democracy, power of state jurisdiction and social cohesion. An analytical exercise is undertaken in part 7 to examine the welfare orientation of social policy with particular emphasis on budgetary efforts to catch up with other countries in the region. Part 8 summarizes the major findings and puts forward some guidelines for social policy reform in small states and a tentative agenda for future research directions. More »» ethnic-diversity-development-and-social-policy-small-states.pdf
2012	Shyam Nath, “A political cost model of fiscal federalism : some empirical results from Indian federation”, Development and Public Finance: Essays in Honour of Raja J. Chelliah, eds by D.K. Srivastava, U. Sankar, pp. 98-112, 2012.[Abstract] The chapter extends the literature in monopoly government as an expenditure leviathan. He constructs and tests a political cost (vote losses) model of fiscal federalism by explicitly incorporating the policy maker’s choice of a structure of tax authority to expand the leviathan at the central and state levels. Given that the political cost of raising the same amount of revenue is lower at the central level but the political gain of spending this revenue is higher at the state level, state leviathans collude with the center for revenue centralization and sharing. Using income and public finance data for 17 major Indian states for the period 1975-97, He estimates both fixed effects and random effects models and tests three hypotheses. His results support the validity of the model. One of the important corollaries of the model is that the concept of expenditure stimulation of grants is less attractive. What emerges is the sub central expenditure stimulation of central budgets as retaliatory response. He concludes that decentralization of revenue bases and tax earmarking should be a key feature of the reform agenda of fiscal federalism in India. More »»
2012	Yeti N. Madhoo and Shyam Nath, “Geography, Macroeconomic Vulnerability and Economic Performance”, International Journal of Development and Conflict, vol. 02, p. 1250006, 2012.[Abstract] The objective of the paper is to empirically examine the effects of macroeconomic volatility on growth and other indicators of welfare incorporating more particularly geography produced diverse conditions that are either growth promoting or growth hampering. We extend the literature on macroeconomic volatility, growth and welfare by integrating the macroeconomics and new development economics literature on cross-country growth performance by capturing factors beyond neoclassical and new growth approaches. Empirical results confirm that growth outcomes under different geography-produced favorable and adverse conditions have the potential of minimizing and exacerbating the effects of macroeconomic variability. The significance of geography and its links with institutions is highlighted and adverse growth and welfare effects of income inequality, coastal openness and trade openness are analyzed. More »»
2010	Shyam Nath, “Tax instruments for environmental management in tourist destinations”, Saving Small Island Developing States, pp. 108-122, 2010.[Abstract] The intent of this chapter is to discuss some of the theoretical and practical issues associated with tourismtaxation and to consider in more detail an approach that relies on a tax instrument that is already used at the local level in most developed and developing countries – property taxation.We begin by briefly addressing the major issues associated with identifying and measuring the external costs associated with tourism. That is followed by a brief review of analyses of alternative revenue instruments designed to internalise those external costs. The possibility of using property taxation is then addressed followed by a short summary and conclusion. More »»
2010	Shyam Nath and Deepchand, K., “Sustainable energy from renewable biological resources: Sugarcane bagasse energy cogeneration in Mauritius”, Saving Small Island Developing States, pp. 197–208, 2010.[Abstract] A sustainable environment is a precondition for sustainable economic development. When an economy produces GDP by using energy and other inputs, the planet produces an invisible product, known as photosynthetic product of the planet (PPP) as a natural process. This PPP however contributes to the production of GDP as an invisible input. As GDP increases, there are adverse effects on the growth of PPP due to utilisation of environmental and natural resources. If degradation of the environment is not arrested and exhaustible natural resources are not conserved, the natural growth of PPP and consequently, future GDP growth will decline. In other words, the environmental cost of producing GDP will tend to increase, alongside the threats posed by global warming. More »»
2009	Shyam Nath and Sobhee, S. K., “Rational partition preferences and the equivalence of flypaper and fungibility of foreign aid: An application of Young’s Theorem”, Asian Economic Review , vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 403-410, 2009.[Abstract] This paper discusses the political economy implications of external financial assistance in the presence of partisanship in parties. In fact, rational partisan theory posits that parties tend to adapt to the median voter’s alteration in preferences during a given incumbency period so that they could maximize their chances of being re-elected. Our paper specifically tends to illustrate whether parties should be concerned with flypaper and fungibility of foreign aid while adapting to the dynamic preferences of voters. The Young theorem is used to show under what conditions would flypaper and fungibility have equivalent effects on output. More »»
2008	Yeti N. Madhoo and Shyam Nath, “A shared growth story of economic success: The Case of Mauritius”, The Political Economy of African Economic Growth, 1960-2000: Country Case Studies, edited by B. Ndulu, S. O’ Connell, J. Azam, R. Bates, A.K. Fosu, I. W. Gunning and D. Njinkeu , vol. 2, pp. 369-400, 2008.
2006	P. Gangopadhyay and Shyam Nath, “Globalization, sub-national governments and urban crises in the developing world”, Globalisation and the Third World (eds.) B N Ghosh and H M Guven, pp. 68-84, 2006.
2001	Shyam Nath, “Government expenditure and economic development”, The Mauritian Economy: A Reader (Eds. R. Dabee and D. Greenaway), 2001.
2001	Shyam Nath, “Local government finance in Mauritius - A Small Island Perspective”, The Mauritian Economy: A Reader (Eds. R. Dabee and D. Greenaway), 2001.
1998	Shyam Nath, “Environmental Resources, International Tourism and Taxation - The case of Mauritius”, Mauritius Research Journal , vol. 1, 1998.
1997	Shyam Nath, “Industrialization and Labor Market Trends in Newly Emerging Economies: A Case Study of Mauritius ”, Malaysian Journal of Tropical Geography , vol. 28, no. 2, 1997.
1995	Shyam Nath, “India: Tax Experiments and the Motor Vehicles Trade”, Bulletin for International Fiscal Documentation, vol. 49, no. 12, pp. 577–582, 1995.
1989	Shyam Nath and Sen, T. Kumar, “Business Property Tax as an Alternative to Octroi”, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 24, pp. 473–478, 1989.[Abstract] One of the recent developments in the area of revenue of local governments is that octroi is on its way out. A vigorous drive is on to locate a new tax to compensate the urban local bodies for the loss of octroi revenue. Tax supplements to sales tax in the form of entry tax and surcharge/additional sales tax have been employed as a substitute measure to restore local fiscal balance in the absence of octroi. These present study evaluates these tax supplements in-terms of their impact on resource allocation, equity and local fiscal autonomy. Surcharge/additional sales tax has been argued to be better than entry tax. However these taxes being state levies are found to be contradictory to the objective of local fiscal autonomy. More »»
1986	Shyam Nath, “Urbanisation, growing fiscal responsibilities and property tax in Delhi metropolitan”, 1986.
1986	Shyam Nath, “Financing of urban public services: property tax vs. user charges”, Financing Urban Development in India, pp. 227-242, 1986.
1983	Shyam Nath, “Property tax potential in the major municipal corporations”, Economic Policy Review, 1983.
1980	Shyam Nath, “Incidence of Indirect Taxation in Rajasthan”, Journal of Applied Economic Research , vol. 20, pp. 60-79, 1980.
1977	Shyam Nath, “Level, growth and composition of the tax system in Rajasthan”, Rajasthan Economic Journal, vol. 1, 1977.
1974	Shyam Nath, “Indexing income tax for inflation”, Economic Affairs (September Issue), 1974.[Abstract] Doring the period of rising prioeB, income tax paJers are put to a higher tax burden owing to interaction of loBation and a progressive tax schedule. On 'he one hand, the increase in income (money or real) puahee a portion of the income into the higher income brackets aubjeo$ to higher marginal tax ra'-, on the other, the rise in price leads to eroaion in purchasing power. If the price level is relatively atable, increase in money income and subeequent increase in tax liability may be juetified on the groUDd of increased ability to pay. But during the rleiog prioea, the riBe in tax burden may or may not be in oonformi$y with 'be rille in real inoome creating $hereby p088ibi·litlee of injllBtioe in taxauon. More »»
1974	Shyam Nath, “A note on Professor Musgrave’s diagrammatic explanation of tax liabilities under various sacrifice formulae”, Artha Vijnana: A Journal of Politics and Economics, vol. 16 , 1974.
1973	Shyam Nath, “Comparison of state’s tax ratio, marginal tax rate and income elasticity of taxation”, Economic Affairs(April Issue), 1973.[Abstract] Planned developmental elfort n-itatee enhancing the magnitude of financial re110uroe~~. During the pro- of development, both level· and compoeition of tax revenue undergo coneldtrable change. The p~nt paper propoeea to dillcuu trende in . taxation during the lut decade io fourteen Btatee of Indian Union, mainly · in tenu · of the ' . Level· of tuatlon.1 Tax ratio (T{Y), marginal tax rate (M&T) and the income eluticlty of U.x revenue (E) have been uaed ae indicators of Ute level of tuation More »»
1972	Shyam Nath, “Land revenue: Alternative to farm income tax”, Capital, 1972.
1972	Shyam Nath, “Taxation of agriculture in India”, Southern Economist, 1972.[Abstract] Agricultural land taxes can be an important source of deve. Jopmflnt finance in underdeveloped countries. In developing countriee adequate taxation of the furroing sector is more important than it Ia in advanced countries, sinca it has a special contribution to make to the emooth proceee of development. In underdeveloped countries the agricultural &ector is the largest sector of the economy and contribu&ee about 80 .per cent of the national product. If this eector remain& untaxed or lightly taxed, either the burden of taxation will be ehifted to other aeotore or the econom.ic growth may elow down for lack of adequate finance. Again, iD each countriea the agricultural sector baa pined much aa compared to other eectors. If thie aeotor is undertaxed the gains will be enh&nced at the coat of other aectore. For example, In India &!though the income of the agricultur&l aeotor inoreaeed, on an averege, by 11 per cent & year between 1950 and 1970 and ~he prfcee of farm products went up by 48 per cent during the Third Plan period againat the 25 per cent gain registered by lnd118trial products, bardlv any elfort baa been made to mop up the additiouaJ gains of the former. As a consequence, the burden of taxation baR been ahifted to non-agricultural aector. More »»
1972	Shyam Nath, “On mopping the agricultural surplus”, Economic Affairs, Annual Number, 1972.

Publication Type: Conference Paper

Year of Publication	Title
2015	Shyam Nath, “Economic Models, Growth and Sustainable Development”, in Youth Conference on Small Island Developing States and Climate Change, Indian Ocean Commission/European Union in Mauritius, 2015.[Abstract] Economic models are prepared utilizing stylized facts and available information about the economy and economic agents. The overwhelming dependence on market efficiency and limitations of cost benefit analysis tend to underplay the role of environmental resources in growth process. What is vital to note is that invisible positive externalities of environmental resources are under-estimated but negative externalities generated during production and consumption activities are also under-estimated. The end result is that economic activities creating negative externalities are boosted due to inefficiency of markets and public policy failure. There is however a paradigm shift in economic thinking and environmental contributions to economic growth are well recognized. Technically speaking, environmental contributions to growth are part of total factor productivity, which derives its strength from environmental and other missing factors in the model. Further analytical advances are necessary to isolate the environmental impacts.Besides the concept of externalities in the context of environmental degradation, an analysis is presented to explain the existence of externalities in relation to sustainable development by bringing in historical (inter-temporal) externalities, overlapping generational externalities and intergenerational externalities. We argue that pollution anywhere is a danger for pollution everywhere. In other words, a simple application of polluter pays principle would not help in recovering the cost of damage as polluters are spread at large. Conventional environmental instruments are handy but not adequate to handle border less pollution. While integration of sustainability in development strategy is crucial, it is necessary to enact mandatory laws. Both preventive and restoration expenditures should be made mandatory on the lines of mandatory corporate social responsibility in some countries. A separate budgetary head would need to be created. This budget should be run on the model of performance budgeting purely in terms of environmental projects. What is more instructive is that since externalities have no national boundaries, tackling global externalities would necessitate intergovernmental and international co-operation. This would ensure the application of international best practice technologies and knowhow in environmental governance. While the success of international agreements is slow, climate clubs may hold promise. Small islands however should be adopted as experimental laboratories, which would benefit both the threatened islands in particular and global environment in general. More »»
2012	Shyam Nath, “Beneficiary charges: The Cinderella of sub-national finance, Taxation and Development: The Weakest Link”, presented at the 09/2012, Stone Mountain, Marriott Conference Resort, Atlanta (Georgia, USA), 2012.[Abstract] Taxation and Development highlights the importance of better understanding the ways in which taxes and expenditure are linked. Focusing on developing countries, the book argues for a broader approach to the topic, with a secondary focus on developing and applying new modeling techniques to country-specific data. More »»
2008	Shyam Nath, “Sustainable energy from renewable biological resources: The case of sugarcane bagasse”, in Workshop on energy efficiency, sustainability and societal change, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, 2008.[Abstract] A sustainable environment is a precondition for sustainable economic development. When an economy produces GDP by using energy and other inputs, the planet produces an invisible product, known as photosynthetic product of the planet (PPP) as a natural process. This PPP however contributes to the production of GDP as an invisible input. As GDP increases, there are adverse effects on the growth of PPP due to utilisation of environmental and natural resources. If degradation of the environment is not arrested and exhaustible natural resources are not conserved, the natural growth of PPP and consequently, future GDP growth will decline. In other words, the environmental cost of producing GDP will tend to increase, alongside the threats posed by global warming. More »»
2005	Shyam Nath, “Measuring coastal damage and planning for sustainable international tourism management in the Island of Mauritius”, in Indian Ocean Marine Environment Conference, University of Western Australia in Perth (Australia), 2005.
2005	Shyam Nath, “Taxing international tourist for the coastal environment: The case of Mauritius”, in Annual Conference of North American Regional Science International, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (USA), 2005.
2004	Shyam Nath, “Spatial Dimensions of Government Spending in Small Islands : The case of Mauritius”, in 51st Annual Conference of North American Regional Science International, University of Washington, Seattle (USA), 2004.
2003	Shyam Nath, “Urban governance - central vs. local government efficiency in providing urban public services: A case study of Mauritius”, in Research Committee 21 Meeting on Urban and Regional Development, University of Milan, Italy, 2003.
2003	Yeti N. Madhoo and Shyam Nath, “Explaining Mauritian Growth”, in African Economic Research Consortium Workshop on Explaining African Economic Growth Performance, Kenya, 2003.
2001	Shyam Nath, “Socio economic disparities in city states, A case study of Mauritius”, in Research Committee Meeting on Regional and Urban Development on the theme Social Inequalities, Re-distributive Justice and the City, Amsterdam Study Centre for the Metropolitan Environment, University of Amsterdam, 2001.
2001	Shyam Nath, “Modeling wages under neoclassical distortions, The case of Mauritius”, in 15th Meeting of European Society for Population Economics, Athens University of Business and Economics, Athens (Greece), 2001.
1999	Shyam Nath, “Export-led growth and labor markets in emerging economies: The case of Mauritius”, in International Conference on Globalization, Economic Reform and Development in Asia-Pacific Region, University of Western Sydney, 1999.
1998	Shyam Nath, “A model of local fiscal assignment: Some empirical results for Mauritius”, in 54th Congress of International Institute of Public Finance, Cordoba, Argentina, 1998.
1997	M. Wrede and Shyam Nath, “Efficiency of local goods provision”, in 53rd Congress of the International Institute of Public Finance, Kyoto University, Japan, 1997.
1997	Shyam Nath, “Coastal resources, the environment and international tourists”, in International Workshop on Coastal Resources and Economic Development, Zanzibar, 1997.
1996	Shyam Nath, “Industrialization and labor market trends – A case Study of Mauritius”, in Commonwealth Geographical Bureau Conference on Vanishing Borders, Department of Geography, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), 1996.
1996	Shyam Nath, “New urban forms: Economic and social dimensions”, in ISA Research Committee Conference on Regional and Urban Development, University of Queensland, Brisbane, (Australia) , 1996.
1995	S. K. Sobhee and Shyam Nath, “Foreign aid and public fiscal behavior: A case study of Mauritius”, in Econometric Society 7th World Congress, Keio University, Tokyo (Japan), 1995.
1995	Shyam Nath, “Urbanization and employment structure change in African economies: An analysis of policy options with special reference to Mauritius”, in UNU/WIDER Workshop on Changing Employment Patterns and the Structure of Unemployment in Africa, Ghana, Africa, 1995.
1993	P. Ganguly and Shyam Nath, “Optimal Mix of Urban Public services: A Game Theoretic Approach”, in Far Eastern Conference of Econometric Society, The Academia Sinica, Institute of Economics, Taipei (Taiwan), 1993.
1993	Shyam Nath, “International tourist population as a tax base: The case of Mauritius”, in 7th Annual Conference of the European Society for Population Economics, Demographic Research Institute, Budapest (Hungary), 1993.
1991	Shyam Nath, “Privatization of municipal services in India: Facts and issues”, in CIRIEC Conference, University of Liege (Belgium), 1991.
1990	Shyam Nath, “Local fiscal adjustment and state grants policy: An empirical analysis”, in Twenty-Seventh Indian Econometric Conference, Department of Economics, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 1990.
1990	Shyam Nath, “Local fiscal response to expenditure reassignment and fiscal decentralization in India”, in 46th Congress of the International Institute of Public Finance, Brussels (Belgium), 1990.
1988	Shyam Nath, “An alternative to Octroi”, in Seminar on Octroi – Problem and Prospects, Shivaji University, Kolahapur, 1988.
1988	Shyam Nath, “Rent control policy and urban housing”, in 2-day Seminar on Issues in Urban Housing and Transport, CIRIEC India/ Society for Development Studies, India International Centre, New Delhi, 1988.
1987	Shyam Nath, “State fiscal response to external aid for plan projects under the concept of additionality”, in 2-day Seminar on Issues in Resource Mobilization for Planning, 1987.
1986	Shyam Nath, “Housing and urbanization: Economic and social dimensions - A Brief Note ”, in Workshop on Housing in Urban Development, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, 1986.
1985	Shyam Nath, “Property tax as a source of urban finance”, in National Workshop on Urban Finance, NIPFP, New Delhi, 1985.
1985	Shyam Nath, “Provision of urban public services: An economic analysis of municipal government vs. autonomous board”, in National Workshop on Urban Finance, NIPFP, New Delhi, 1985.
1982	Shyam Nath, “Metropolitan growth and management in India with reference to local finance - A study of the property tax in Calcutta”, in Conference on Urbanisation and National Development, East West Centre, Population Research Institute, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA, 1982.
1980	Shyam Nath, “Indian Economic Policy”, in Eastern Economic Association Annual Conference, Montreal (Canada), 1980 (Discussant’s paper), 1980.

Publication Type: Book Chapter

Year of Publication

Title

2010

Shyam Nath, “Concepts and public policy issues in environmental and natural resource analysis”, in Saving Small Island Developing States, London (UK): Commonwealth Secretariat, 2010, pp. 19–31.[Abstract] This chapter introduces the relevant concepts in environmental and natural resource analysis and brings out why there is a need for governmental regulation and policy for environmental management. Classification and definitions of environmental goods and services are presented in the second section. In the third and fourth sections, an attempt is made to discuss environmental goods as a necessity or an amenity and as public goods and to examine the major characteristics of these goods. In the fifth section, policy context is examined. Given the public goods nature of environmental resources, the importance of conscious policy on use and conservation is highlighted. Concluding remarks are contained in the last section. More »»

Publication Type: Book

Year of Publication	Title
2010	Shyam Nath, John L. Robert, and Yeti N. Madhoo, Saving Small Island Developing States: Environmental and Natural Resource Challenges. Commonwealth Secretariat, 2010.[Abstract] Small may be beautiful, but small island states have a big problem - the environmental consequences of climate change. Emanating from research at the University of Mauritius and with contributions from a wide range of experts, Saving Small Island States introduces and explains the key environmental policy challenges and suggested responses to them. More »»
1994	Shyam Nath and Purohit, B. C., Management of Urban Local Finances . New Delhi: R. Publications, 1994.

Publication Type: Newspaper Article

Year of Publication	Title
1987	Shyam Nath, “Replacing Octroi: A look at alternatives”, Economic Times, December 10, 1987.
1975	Shyam Nath, “Predictability of state taxes”, Economic Times, September 9 , 1975.

OCCASIONAL/ WORKING PAPERS

• A Game-theoretic Model of Intergenerational Filial Piety and Care: What drives parental cohabitation among rural households in India? By Partha Gangopadhyay and Shyam Nath (Working Paper Center for Economic Fragility and Development Studies, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham School of Business, Kerala, India) Forthcoming
• Is ethnic diversity a human resource curse? Yeti Nisha Madhoo and Shyam Nath (Working Paper Center for Economic Fragility and Development Studies, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham School of Business, Kerala, India) Forthcoming
• Beneficiary charges: The Cinderella of Sub-national Finance (coauthored), Working Paper 13-17, International center for Public Policy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA, May 2013 Available at
• Sustainable energy from renewable biological resources: The case of sugarcane bagasse, IHDP Science Policy Dialogue 2008, United Nations University, Bonn (Germany)
• Modeling political economy of social security in Mauritius: A game theoretic approach (co-authored), DES Working Paper 2006/3, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius
• Foreign ownership and labor productivity in Sub Saharan Africa (co-authored), DES Working Paper 2006/1, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius
• A counterfactual analysis of fiscal decentralization in small countries: The case of Mauritius (co-authored), DES Working Paper 2005/02, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius (published in Journal of Public Finance and Management as indicated above)
• Aid motivation and donor behaviour (co-authored), DES Working Paper 2006/1, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius (published in American Review of Political Economy as indicated above)
• ​​​​On explaining Mauritian economic miracle, Coauthored Paper presented at the AERC Workshop on Explaining African Economic Growth Performance, Nairobi, November 27-29, 2003
• A model of local fiscal choice (co-authored), Working Paper No. 3/89, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, May 1989 and Occasional Paper No 135, May 1990, International series of the Maxwell School, Metropolitan Studies Program, Syracuse University, Syracuse (New York, USA) (published in Public Finance/Finances Publiques as indicated above)
• Optimal mix of urban public services: A game theoretic approach (co-authored), Working Papers in Economics, No. 140, May 1990, The University of Sydney, Australia and Working Paper No. 5/89, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, July 1989
• Public expenditure decentralization in developing countries (Co-authored) Working Paper No. 21 National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, September, 1986 (published in Government and Policy as indicated above)
• Impact of standard rent on property tax base in India: An empirical analysis, Working Paper No. 11, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, October, 1982 and Occasional Paper, No. 75, The Maxwell School (published in Economic and Political Weekly as indicated above)
• Property tax revenue growth in Indian cities (co-authored), Occasional Paper No. 65, The Maxwell School, December 1982 and Working Paper No. 10, National Institute of Public and Policy, New Delhi, December 1982, (published in Nagarlok: Urban Affairs Quarterly as indicated above)
• Local fiscal response to expenditure reassignment and fiscal decentralization in India, Working Paper No. 1/93, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, January 1993

AUTHOR OF INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CONSULTANCY REPORTS

• Social Policy Challenges in Small States (with Yeti Nisha Madhoo), United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva, 2011
• Explaining African Economic Growth Performance in Africa: Mauritius (27 Countries Project), The Case of Mauritius, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi (Africa), Funded by Multiple International Donor Countries and Agencies, 2003-2006.
• Author of Economic Report on Africa, 2003: Mauritius, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Addis Ababa, 2002
• Financing Local Governance in Mauritius, Tertiary Education Commission, Mauritius and University of Mauritius Research Project, 2003
• Author of Common Country Assessment (CCA): Mauritius, UNDP (August- September- November, 1999)
• Author of Policy of Fiscal Decentralisation and Draft Policy Statement for the Royal Government of Cambodia (with Paddy Roome), United National Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), February – March, 1999
• Co-author of Local Government Financing and Fiscal Decentralisation in Malawi (with Larry Schroeder) UNCDF/WORLD BANK, May – July, 1998
• Author of Employment Structure Change in African Economies: Policy and Options with Special Reference to Mauritius, WIDER/UNU (United Nations University), Helsinki (Finland), 1995.
• Author of Donor Funds and Budgetary Practices in India, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), New Delhi, 1986
• Co-author of the Working Group Report on the Economy: National Long Term Perspective Study 2020, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, Government of Mauritius, Port-Louis, 1997
• Principal Author of the Report on Management of Urban Local Finances in Non-Octroi States, A Study for the Planning Commission, Government of India, 1989-90
• Principal Author of the Report on Principles and Practices of Entry Tax, submitted to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 1989-90
• Co-author of the Report on Finance and Management Capabilities of Urban Local Bodies, submitted to the Planning Commission, Government of India, 1988-90
• Co-author of the Report on Property Tax System in Delhi (with Raja J. Chelliah, submitted to Delhi Administration, Government of India, 1984
• Co-author of the Report on the Tax Reform in West Bengal (with AmareshBagchi), submitted to the Government of West Bengal, Municipal Finance Commission, 1980-81
• Co-author of the Report on the Tax System in the State of Assam (with Raja J Chelliah), submitted to the Government of Assam (India), 1977-78
• Co-author of the background paper entitled Elasticity and Buoyancy of State Indirect Taxes (with Raja J Chelliah) for the Indirect Taxation Enquiry Committee, Government of India, 1976-77

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS

• Taylor & Francis Group Journals’ Editorial Roundtable 2014, The Author-Impact, Engagement and Social Media, Claridges Hotel, November 10, New Delhi (Presentation of an international journal proposal)
• International Conference on Applied Economics, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey, June 27-29 2013, Chaired a Session on Microeconomics (5.30-7.30 pm)
• The 18th annual conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), University of Hull, UK, June 24-26, 2012, participation
• The 17th annual conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), Earth Institute, Columbia University, in partnership with the United Nations Division of Sustainable Development and Asian Development Bank Institute, New York, USA, May8-10 2011, participation
• The Asia Pacific Economic and Business History Conference, Berkeley, California, February 18-20, 2011, Participation
• Country Role Model of Economic Development Conference, United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research, Helsinki (Finland), June 13-14 2008
• Climate Change and Economic Development Workshop, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi (Kenya), April 22-24, 2008
• Subject Specialist Workshop in Health Economics for Collaborative MA Program for Anglophone Africa, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi (Kenya), June 28-30, 2007
• World Meteorological Organization’s Annual Meeting, Finnish Meteorological Office, Helsinki
  (Finland), July 6-10, 2006
• Special Senior Policy Seminar on Explaining African economic Growth Performance, held in Kigali (Rwanda), October 25-26, 2006.
• Workshop on Explaining African Economic Growth Performance, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi (Kenya), May 23-25, 2002
• Workshop on the National Human Dimensions Program,Organized by the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP, Bonn, Germany) on Global Environmental Change, Mauritius, March 25-27, 2002.
• Research Committee Meeting on Regional and Urban Development on the theme Social Inequalities, Re-distributive Justice and the City, Amsterdam Study Centre for Metropolitan Environment, University of Amsterdam, June 17, 2001
• Subject Specialist Workshop for Collaborative MA Program in Managerial Economics for Anglophone Africa, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi (Kenya), June 28-30, 2000
• Training Workshop in Capacity Building and Networking in the Area of Biogeochemical Budgeting and Socioeconomic Modeling including Human Dimension Aspects in Coastal Systems of South Asia, 18-22 September Mt Lavinia, Sri Lanka, 2000
• Inter-Ministerial Conference and Workshop on Decentralized Commune Governance and Fiscal Decentralization, organized by United Nations Capital Development Fund, Phnom Penh (Cambodia), February 17-19, 1999 (Facilitator on Fiscal Decentralization)
• Workshop in Advanced Econometrics, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi (Kenya), September 30 – October 11, 1996
• Ninth International Symposium on the Property Tax, held in Spain (Barcelona and Seville), November 22 – December 2, 1988
• Eastern Economic Association Annual Conference, Montreal (Canada), May 1-8, 1980 (Discussant)

SHORT INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC VISITS, ATTACHMENTS AND INVITED TALKS

• University of Western Sydney, Macarthur (Australia), Department of Economics and Finance, July 1999, Research
• University of Frankfurt, Germany, Department of Economics, June 1993, Research
• Erasmus University Local Finance Centre and Municipality of Rotterdam (Netherlands), August 1990, Lecture
• Institute of Housing, Rotterdam (Netherlands), September 1990, Lecture

DIRECTOR OF TRAINING OF PUBLIC SECTOR OFFICERS AND RESOURCE FACULTY

• Research Methodology Workshop for Social and Management Sciences, University of Mauritius, Sponsored by University Senior Management, University of Mauritius, July 24 -August 2, 2000
• Inter-Ministerial Workshop on Decentralized Commune Governance and Fiscal Decentralization, Organized by United Nations Capital Development Fund, Phnom Penh (Cambodia), February 17-19, 1999 (Facilitator and Resource Person on Fiscal Decentralization)
• Advanced Management Programs for Senior and Middle Level Executives in the Public and Private Sectors held at the University of Mauritius, Mauritius in 1993 and 1994 (Resource Person and Member of the Directorate)
• Resource Person, Supply Management Course, Ministry of Finance, Government of Mauritius,1993 and 1994
• Training Courses on Urban Finance, (1984-85), Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development
• National Workshop on Urban Finance (May 6-8, 1985), Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development
• Training Programs on the Techniques of Budgetary Projections (1978-79), Government of India
• Advanced Training Programs in Sale Tax Administration (1970-88), Government of India, Ministry of Finance
• Workshop on Computerization of Sales Tax Data (1978), at the request of State Governments in India

MEMBERSHIP OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES

• Member of the Committee on Professional and Institutional Development, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya, 1997-99
• Member of the Academic Committee, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya, 1995-98
• Member of the Special Group to make recommendations about the ways and means to operate sewage treatment plants and stations on a commercial basis under River Ganges Action Plan, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, New Delhi (1986-87)
• Member of the Expert Committee on Used Oil, Ministry of Environment and Quality of Life, Government of Mauritius, Port Louis (1990-91).
• Member of the Working Group on the Mauritian Economy 2020 Scenario Building, Government of Mauritius, Port Louis (1992-93)

JOURNAL REFEREE

World Development, Journal of Developing Areas, International Journal of Economic Research, Economic and Political Weekly, Mauritius Research Journal, African-Asian Journal of Economics and Econometrics, International Journal of Development and Conflict.

EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE

• Principal Editor (with John Roberts, Indian Ocean Commission, Mauritius and Yeti NishaMadhoo, University of Mauritius), Saving Small and Island States, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, 2007 to 2010
• Member of Editorial Board for the Committee on Research, Consultancy and Innovation, University of Mauritius, Mauritius, 2004-08
• Editor, Discussion Paper Series in Economics, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Mauritius, Mauritius, 2001-2008
• Member, Mauritius Research Council, Mauritius, Pool of Resources for screening project reports and PhD dissertations for publication grant, 1998-2004
• Resource Person, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

World Econometric Society, European Society for Population Economics, International Sociological Association Research Committee on Urban and Regional Development, North American Regional Science Association, International Institute of Public Finance

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION

• Dean of Faculty, Social Studies and Humanities, University of Mauritius (part time and full time 2001-2002)
• Member, Academic Promotion Appeals Committee, University of Mauritius, 1998-2005
• Chairperson Departmental Research Committee, Department of Economics, University of Mauritius, 2002-05
• Convener, Technical Committee, Department of Economics, University of Mauritius, 2000-02
• Academic Expert on Staff Selection Committees at the University of Mauritius during 1991-99
• Member, Advisory Committees on Curriculum Development, University of Mauritius, 1996-99
• Member, Academic Promotion Appeals Committee, University of Mauritius, 1999-2000
• Program Coordinator, Master in Public Policy and Administration, University of Mauritius, 2005-08
• Member of Faculty Board, Social Studies and Humanities, University of Mauritius, 1990-99
• Member of University Senate, University of Mauritius, 1990-95
• Member, Faculty Committee, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, 1986/87
• Chairperson, Staff Council, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, 1987-88