Gita Gopinath, 38, is the first female Indian-origin full professor at Harvard University’s economics department. Widely considered an authority on international price fluctuations and business cycles in emerging economies, the young professor, a Delhi School of Economics alumnus, says there’s a lot left to be done in improving the financial system in countries such as India and China. She is of the view that to prevent a slowing of growth, India needs to focus on education “at all levels” which alone can ensure amore skilled labour force. Gopinath, an admirer of cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and writer JK Rowling, says she hopes that the Federal Reserve, under the chairmanship of Ben Bernanke , could help the US economy tackle problems arising out of rising unemployment and a shrinking housing market. The Kolkata-born economist, however, regrets that the outsourcing issue, which is on top of the agenda of US President Barack Obama who is visiting India early next month, is deeply political at this point.
Her father, TV Gopinath, a farmer and entrepreneur in Mysore , too, believes that increasingly, young Indians from small towns and villages will do well in academics and have the confidence to compete for top hon ours with their wealthier and savvier counterparts in cities.
Her Father Says:
“My daughter went to school in Mysore, but was unfazed by the intense competition that she faced in Delhi. Later, Harvard University offered her an admission for PhD but didn’t give her any financial aid. Because we couldn’t afford to fund her, she decided to go to the University of Washington, Seattle, where she was offered funding. She left the university after two years, but was given an MS in economics in recognition of her extraordinary capabilities,” says Mr Gopinath, a proud father.
“My daughter went to school in Mysore, but was unfazed by the intense competition that she faced in Delhi. Later, Harvard University offered her an admission for PhD but didn’t give her any financial aid. Because we couldn’t afford to fund her, she decided to go to the University of Washington, Seattle, where she was offered funding. She left the university after two years, but was given an MS in economics in recognition of her extraordinary capabilities,” says Mr Gopinath, a proud father.
“When I was doing my bachelors from Delhi University, India experienced its first major external financing and currency crisis in 1990-91. This inspired me to pursue graduate work in economics and was the foundation for my interest in international finance.”
Mr. Bernanke was one of Ms. Gopinath’s advisors on her thesis on international macroeconomics and trade at Princeton University.
“I remember discussing my thesis ideas with him and he could see ten steps ahead of me where I was going and what the crucial assumptions were in my model that generated my results.”
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