Tara S. Nair

Dr. Tara S. Nair holds M.Phil. (Applied Economics) and Ph.D. (Economics) degrees from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India (through the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum).  Previously, she held the positions of Head of Research at the Friends of Women’s World Banking (India), Ahmedabad and Associate Professor with the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) and Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA). She was a visiting scholar at the UMR-REGARDS, University of Bordeaux (France), Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad.

She has published in journals and edited books on topics like financial intermediation and commercial banks, trends and patterns in the Indian microfinance sector, financial inclusion, micro enterprise development and media economics and policy.  She has been part of large scale field studies on the impact of microfinance in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

She has undertaken consultancy assignments for agencies including the International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Labour Organisation, CHF International, Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (Japan) and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India).

Urban Microfinance in the Context of Urban Poverty', in Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and UNDP, India - Urban Poverty Report 2009, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2009.

Media Matters: Issues and Perspectives in Management of Media (edited volume), Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad, 2009.

'Development Communication in India: An Institutional Perspective', in Jacob Srampical and I. Arul Aram (eds.), Understanding Development Communication, Media House, New Delhi, 2007.

'Financial Intermediation for Rural Development: Exploring the Role and Contribution of Commercial Banks', in Readings on Financial Inclusion, Indian Institute of Banking and Finance, Mumbai, 2006.