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Economics and Public Policy

Atul Mehta

Assistant Professor, Ph.D., IIM Indore

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Contact:

Email : atul@iimshillong.ac.in

Office Ph.: +91 364 2308030

Research Interests/ Areas

Financial sector development; Financial Literacy, attitude & behavior; Financial Vulnerability; Financial Capability; Inclusive Finance; Poverty & Inequality; Elementary Education; and Healthcare Management

Teaching Interest / Areas

Macroeconomics, Indian Economy, International Economics, Development Finance

Consultancy Interest / Areas

Financial sector development; Financial Literacy, attitude & behavior; Financial Vulnerability; Financial Capability; Inclusive Finance; Poverty & Inequality; Elementary Education; and Healthcare Management

Biography

Atul Mehta is a faculty member in the Economics & Public Policy area at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong. He holds an M.A. in Economics from Devi Ahilya University, Indore, and earned his Ph.D. in Economics from IIM Indore.

Dr. Mehta’s teaching portfolio spans a range of subjects, including Macroeconomics, Managerial Economics, the Indian Economy, International Economics, and Development Finance. His research primarily focuses on household finance, with particular interest in financial literacy, attitudes, behaviors, and well-being, along with financial vulnerability, inclusive finance, and the broader issues of poverty and inequality.

He has actively contributed to the academic community by presenting his work at prestigious national and international conferences, both in India and abroad. His research has also been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Prior to joining IIM Shillong, Dr. Mehta was associated with SRM University, serving at both its Delhi-NCR and Chennai campuses. He also brings experience in economic policy research, having worked with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi and the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) in Jaipur.

During his career, Dr. Mehta has contributed to numerous projects addressing a range of rural and urban development issues, as well as critical healthcare challenges across India.

Research Projects

Completed Projects

  • Impact Assessment Study of Jan Kerosene Pariyojana Sponsored by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • Evaluation Study of Remote Village Electrification Programme Sponsored by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • Forecasting and Monitoring of Retail Prices of Essential Commodities
    Sponsored by Department of Planning, Government of NCT of Delhi
  • External Monitoring System for Medical Mobile Units in Rajasthan
    Sponsored by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Rajasthan
  • Application of Spirituality in Patient Care Sponsored by  Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Mumbai
  • Action Plan for Development of Handicraft and Handloom Sectors in the North Eastern Region Sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC)
  • Financial Vulnerability Assessment Using Data Analytics: Evidence from Rural Households in Three Indian States Sponsored by Dvara Research

Ongoing Projects

  • CSR Monitoring and Evaluation Sponsored by SPVS
  • Examining the Impact of Energy Currency in Newly Electrified Communities Sponsored by Schneider Electric Industries SAS, France
  • Evaluation of Select Ongoing Projects under NESIDS / NESIDS-OTRI / PMDevINE Schemes: Assessing Progress and Impact Sponsored by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER)

Journal Articles

  • Kamble, P. A., & Mehta, A. (2026). From Access to Usage: The Shifting Gender Gap in India’s Financial Inclusion. Bulletin of Economic Research. (Accepted) (ABDC – B; SCOPUS)
  • Kamble, P. A., Mehta, A., & Rani, N. (2026). Building Financial Resilience: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda. Journal of Economic Surveys, 40(2), 954–981. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.70024 (ABDC – A; ABS – 2; SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Goswami, N., Murti, A. B., & Mehta, A. (2026). Corporate Political Strategies in M&As: A Systematic Review of Trajectories, Impacts and Managerial Influence. Managerial Finance, 52(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-10-2024-0750 (ABDC – B; ABS – 1; SCOPUS – Q2)
  • Goswami, N., Mehta, A., Murti, A. B., & Rao, S. (2025). Navigating the Dynamics of Corporate Political Contributions: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 32(2), 436–469. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-06-2024-0131 (ABDC – B; ABS – 2; SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Kamble, P. A., Mehta, A., & Rani, N. (2025). Measuring Multidimensional Financial Resilience: An Ex-ante Approach. Social Indicators Research, 176(2), 533–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-024-03476-8 (ABDC – A; SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Oberoi, S., Joshi, R., Mehta, A., Srivastava, S., & Gupta, V. K. (2024). Crowdfunding Research: Critical Analysis and Constructive Agenda for Future Inquiry. The Journal of Entrepreneurship, 33(3), 651–699. https://doi.org/10.1177/09713557241278598 (ABDC – C; ABS – 1; SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Anto, D., Mehta, A., & Murti, A. (2024). Using Energy as a Community Currency for Sustainable Development of Newly Electrified Communities. Energy for Sustainable Development, 83, 101558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2024.101558 (SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Kamble, P. A., Mehta, A., & Rani, N. (2024). Financial Inclusion and Digital Financial Literacy: Do They Matter for Financial Well-being? Social Indicators Research, 171(3), 777–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03264-w (ABDC – A; SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Payab, A. H., Kautish, P., Sharma, R., Siddiqui, A., Mehta, A., & Siddiqui, M. (2023). Does Human Capital Complement Sustainable Development Goals? Evidence from Leading Carbon Emitter Countries. Utilities Policy, 81, 101509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2023.101509 (SCOPUS – Q1)
  • Oberoi, S., Srivastava, S., Gupta, V. K., Joshi, R., & Mehta, A. (2022). Crowd Reactions to Entrepreneurial Failure in Rewards-Based Crowdfunding: A Psychological Contract Theory Perspective. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 15(7), 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm15070300 (ABDC – B; SCOPUS – Q3)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2022). What Should Government Prioritize for the Upliftment of the Poor in India: Access to Credit or Economic Growth? International Review of Public Administration, 27(2), 129–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2022.2071538 (ABDC – B; SCOPUS – Q2)
  • Goswami, N., Murti, A. B., & Mehta, A. (2022). A Managerial Guide to Understanding Firm’s Nonmarket Environment and Forces to Steer Strategy Development. Manager – The British Journal of Administrative Management, 58(150), 101–123. (ABDC – C)
  • Sinha, A., Sengupta, T., & Mehta, A. (2021). Tourist Arrivals and Development of Shadow Economy: Wavelet-Based Evidence from Thailand. Tourism Analysis, 27(2), 255–260. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354221X16186396395764 (ABDC – A; SCOPUS – Q2)
  • Mehta, A. (2021). Analyzing the Debt Behavior of Farm Households in Maharashtra, India. Journal of Developing Areas, 56(2), 107–117. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jda.2022.0038 (ABS – 1)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2020). Channels of Financial Sector Development and the Inequality Widening (Narrowing) Hypothesis: Evidence from India. Journal of Financial Economic Policy, 12(4), 593–608. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFEP-03-2019-0049 (ABDC – B; SCOPUS – Q3)
  • Deb, R., Samalia, H. V., & Mehta, A. (2020). The Influence of Access to Finance on Driving the Informal Economy: An Institution-Based View. The Empirical Economics Letters, 19(5). (ABDC – C)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2019). What Discriminates the Welfare Outcomes of Children in India: A Multiple Discriminant Analysis in Selected States. Theoretical and Applied Economics, 26(2). (ABDC – C)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2018). Financial Sector Development and the Poor in Developing Countries: Revisiting the Access to Finance Channel. Theoretical and Applied Economics, 3(616). (ABDC – C)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2017). What Works Best for the Poor in Rural India – Poverty-Lending Approach or Financial Systems Approach? South Asia Economic Journal, 18(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1391561417713131 (ABDC – C; SCOPUS – Q3)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2017). Channels of Financial Sector Development and Rural–Urban Consumption Inequality in India. International Journal of Social Economics, 44(12), 1973–1987. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-05-2015-0117 (ABDC – B; SCOPUS – Q3)
  • Mehta, A., & Bhattacharya, J. (2016). The Role of Household-Level Characteristics in Predicting the Unbanked in Rural India: A Comparison of Eastern and Western Regions. The IUP Journal of Applied Economics, 15(4), 48–73. (ABDC – C)
  • Secured First position in M.A. (Economics) with First class and Distinction.
  • Received the Best Paper Award for paper titled “Direct Financial Intermediation and Poor in Rural India – Micro Credit Under Self-help Group Bank Linkage Programme” presented at the Great Lakes –Union Bank 5th Annual Finance Conference by Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai on January 27, 2015.
  • Received full scholarship from Central Bank of Sri Lanka to present a paper titled “What form of Financial Development Works Best for Poor in Rural India?” at the 8th International Research Conference on December 7, 2015 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His paper was one of the eight papers selected for presentation from submissions received across countries.