Contributor : Profile

Tirthankar Roy is Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He teaches South Asia and Global History at the LSE and is the author of India in the World Economy from Antiquity to the Present, besides other books and articles. His work on economic history tries to answer three questions. Is there a long-term pattern in Indian capitalism? When did the big breaks occur in that pattern? Does history help us understand how capitalism in India works today?

His recent publications include Law and the Economy in Colonial India (with Anand V. Swamy, University of Chicago Press, 2016). The book discusses the diverse influences that shaped British Indian law and shows why it delivered rather poor value to the users. Currently in press, The Economy of South Asia from 1950 to the Present (Palgrave, 2017) explores the historical roots of rapid economic growth in the region, with reference to politics, markets, resources, and the world economy. The first systematic economic history of modern South Asia, the book offers a new interpretation on why the region is changing so fast, and what that means for the world. His ongoing projects include a sequel to Law and the Economy (with Anand Swamy) dealing with post-Independence India.