GANESH K. SESHAN
October 2015
Georgetown University Tel No: +974 4457 8233
School of Foreign Service in Qatar Fax No: +974 4457 8231
P.O. Box 23689, Doha, Qatar Email: [email protected]
Webpage: http://georgetown.academia.edu/GaneshSeshan
Professional Experience:
• Assistant Professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q)
August 2011 –present • Visiting Assistant Professor at SFS-Q August 2006-July 2011 • Economist Consultant, The World Bank, MENA Region, USA. Sept 2004 – July 2006 • Instructor, University of Virginia (UVA), USA. Jan 2002 – July 2004 • Economist (summer program), International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., USA. Jun – Aug 2001
Undergraduate Teaching Experience:
• Senior Seminar in Research Project Design (Econ 400) (SFS-Q) • Project Evaluation (Econ 491) (SFS-Q)
• Development Economics (Econ 483) (SFS-Q) • Intermediate Microeconomics (SFS-Q) • Intermediate Macroeconomics (UVA) • Economic Development (Econ 211) (SFS-Q) • Economic Development of the Middle East (SFS-Q) • International Finance (SFS-Q)
• International Trade (SFS-Q)
• Principles of Microeconomics (SFS-Q, UVA) • Principles of Macroeconomics (SFS-Q, UVA)
Education:
• Ph.D. in Economics, University of Virginia, U.S.A. 2006
• Bachelor of Accounting, IIUM, Malaysia 1997
Research Interest: Primary: Applied Microeconomics, Economic Development Secondary: Impact Evaluation, Behavioral Economics
Journal Publications:
•
Seshan, Ganesh and Robertas Zubrickas, “Asymmetric Information about Migrant Earnings and Remittance Flows,” World Bank Economic Review, 2015, doi: 10.1093/wber/lhv032• Seshan, Ganesh and Dean Yang, “Motivating Migrants: A Field Experiment on Financial Decision-Making in Transnational Households,” Journal of Development Economics, volume 108, 2014, pp. 119-127. • Seshan, Ganesh “The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Household Welfare in a Developing Country
with Imperfect Labor Markets,” Journal of Development Studies, volume 50(2), 2014, pp. 226-243. • Seshan, Ganesh, “Public-Private Sector Employment Decisions and Wage Differentials in Peninsular
Malaysia,” Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, volume 49, Supplement 5, 2013, pp. 163-179.
• Seshan, Ganesh, “Does More Time Spent Calling Home Correlate with Higher Remittances? Evidence from Migrants in Qatar,” B.E Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, volume 12(1), 2012, (online). • Seshan, Ganesh, “Migrants in Qatar: A Socio-Economic Profile,” Journal of Arabian Studies, Volume 2(2),
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Other Publications:
• Seshan, Ganesh, “Evaluating Financial Literacy Training for Migrant Workers in the Gulf”, Gulf Labor Markets and Migration, EN-No.4/2015, 2015.
• Casero, Palomo and Ganesh Seshan, “Economics Gain of Regional Agreements in the Maghreb: Deeper versus Wider Integration” in José R. López-Cálix, Peter Walkenhorst, and Ndiamé Diop, eds., Trade
Competitiveness of the Middle East and North Africa: Policies for Export Diversification”, World Bank, 2010.
• Seshan, Ganesh and Dina Umali-Deininger, “Agriculture Import Liberalization and Household Welfare in Sri Lanka,” World Bank mimeo, 2006.
• Casero, Paloma and Ganesh Seshan, “Is there a New Vision for Maghreb Economic Integration?” (in 2 volumes), World Bank, 2006.
• Casero, Paloma, Ganesh Seshan and Ingrid Ivins, “Unlocking Djibouti’s Growth Potential: The Road Ahead,” Republic of Djibouti, Country Economic Memorandum, (in 3 volumes), World Bank, 2006 • Casero, Paloma and Ganesh Seshan, ‘Fiscal and Social Impact of a Nominal Exchange Rate Devaluation
in Djibouti,” World Bank Policy Research Paper No. 4028, 2006.
• Casero, Paloma and Ganesh Seshan, “Public-Private Wage Differential and Returns to Education in Djibouti,” World Bank Policy Research Paper No. 3923, 2006.
Working Papers:
• Seshan, Ganesh, “Welfare Gains to Origin Households: Comparing Internal and International Migration of South Indians”
• Oded Stark, Ganesh Seshan, Daniel Westbrook, Kien Le and Abdoulaye Diop, “Group Norm and Remittance Behavior”
•
Antoniades, Alexis, Ganesh Seshan, Robertas Zubrickas and Roberto Weber, “Altruism and Remittances: Evidence from a Behavioral Experiment.” (under review)Work in Progress:
• “Impact of International Remittances on Labor Participation, Household Expenditures and Investments of South Indian Households”
• “Incentivizing Communal Remittances: An Experimental Study” (with David McKenzie)
• “An Experimental Evaluation of the Returns to Skills Training of Migrant Workers in Qatar” (with David McKenzie)
• “Information Provision and International Migration” (with Dean Yang) • “Increasing Commitment to Wellness” (with Dean Karlan & Amina Ebrahim)
Academic Presentations:
• “Welfare Gains to Origin Households: Comparing Internal and International Migration of South Indians”
o (Forthcoming) Middle-East Economic Association, San Francisco, Jan 2016
o Georgetown Center for Economic Research (GCER) Conference, Washington, D.C., May 2015 o “Asianisation of Migrant Workers in the GCC Countries: Emerging Trends, Future Prospects and
Strategic Implications”, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi, Oct 2014
o International Seminar on Migration, Care Economy and Development, Center for Development Studies, Kerala, India September 2014
• “Asymmetric Information about Migrant Earnings and Remittance Flows” o Georgetown University-Qatar Faculty Research Colloquium, Feb 2015 o Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference, Nov 2014
o 2014 Western Economic Association International (WEAI), Colorado, June 2014 (also served as a discussant)
o 2014 Annual Bank Conferences on Development Economics (ABCDE), World Bank, Washington DC, June 2014
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o College of Business & Economics, Qatar University, May 2014
o 2013 Middle East Economic Association Post ASSA Meeting, Jan 2013 (also served as a discussant); o 2012 Northeast Universities Development Consortium Conference (NEUDC), Nov. 2012 (also
served as a discussant)
o 2012 Gulf Research Meeting, Cambridge, UK, July 2012 (also served as a discussant) o 2012 Australasian Development Economics Workshop, June 2012
o SESRI Migration Workshop, Qatar University, March 2012 [early draft]
• “Motivating Migrants: A Field Experiment on Financial Decision-Making in Transnational Households” o 2013 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Summer Institute, Development Economics
Program, July 2013
o 2013 North America Summer Meeting of the Econometric Society, June 2013 o 2013 Financial Inclusion Conference (by invitation), Harvard University, Feb 2013 o 3rd Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum, Oct. 2012
o Georgetown University (Dept. of Economics), Washington D.C, Aug 2012
•
“Altruism and Remittances.”2013 Symposium on Economic Experiments in Developing Countries (SEEDC), Norway, Dec 2013
2011 and before:
Survey Research in the Gulf, Qatar University, March 2011 1st Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum, Dec. 2010 Gulf Research Meeting, Cambridge, UK, June 2010 Social Science Faculty Forum, Qatar, Nov 2008
Georgetown-Qatar Faculty Lecture Series, Feb 2007 Georgetown School of Foreign Service, February 2006
SUNY Buffalo (Department of Economics), February 2006 Midwest International Economics Conference, Oct 2005
Northeast Universities Development Consortium Conference (NEUDC), Sept 2005, (also served as a discussant)
University of Virginia (Department of Economics), Nov 2004. Non-Academic Research Experience:
• Center of Design Innovation (DoDI), Consultant May-June 2012
Jointly produced a report with Dean Yang (University of Michigan) for CoDI, a member of the Qatar Science and Technology Park, on the impact of international migration on host and sending countries and existing policies and programs that could potentially be undertaken in Qatar and other Arab States. • Doha International Institute for Family Studies (DIIFSD), Consultant Sept 2010-May 2011
Commissioned by DIIFSD, a member of Qatar Foundation, to produce an internal report for ictQatar on the attitude of Qataris towards working from home using information and communication technology. The results were based on a purpose-designed quantitative survey and administered to nearly 800 Qatari households. Qualitative interviews were also administered with a small sample of female Qataris working from home.
• The World Bank, Economist Consultant, Middle East North Africa Department. Sept 2004-July 2006 Core team member for the 2005 Djibouti Country Economic Memorandum (CEM). Performed analytical and empirical work on determinants of public-private wage differentials and private returns to education in Djibouti, wage employment model for Djibouti and fiscal and social impact of a devaluation in addition to MENA governance indexes, growth diagnostics and related panel regressions for Djibouti and private investment determinants for Tunisia. Also contributed to the health chapter for the 2004 Djibouti Public Expenditure Review (PER) and economic monitoring notes for Tunisia (August 2005,
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March 2006) and Djibouti (August 2005). Produced a poverty and social impact study of agriculture trade liberalization in Sri Lanka. Completed a World Bank report on regional economic integration prospects among Maghreb countries covering trade, foreign investment and service reforms.
• International Monetary Fund, Economist (summer program), Middle East Dept. Summer 2001 Conducted time-series analysis on the extent of exchange rate misalignment in Sudan and the degree to which exchange rate volatility affect its non-oil export performance.
Related Survey Experience:
• Established and supervised an in-house survey team at SFS-Q to administer matched-household surveys to 1,150 Filipino migrants in Qatar and their families back home using a randomized control trial
approach. July 2008-April 2010 External Research Grants:
US$861,041 Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) National Priorities Research Program, 2015-2018 “An Experimental Evaluation of the Returns to Skill Training of Migrant Workers in Qatar,” (with David McKenzie)
US$485,415 Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) National Priorities Research Program, 2008-2011 “Qatar Survey of Migrant Families,” (with Dean Yang)
US$60,000 Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP), 2014-2015, “Financial Education for Migrant Workers,” (with Suzanne Mirgani) US$60,000 Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) UREP, 2011-2012
“Qatar Longitudinal Study of Transnational Families” US$10,000 Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) UREP, 2009-2010.
“Qatar Study of Kenyan Transnational Families”
US$60,000 Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) UREP, 2008-2009. “Qatar Study of Transnational Families”
Academic Services:
• Member, Honor Council, SFS-Q, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015 • Member, Research Committee, SFS-Q, Fall 2014 and Spring 2015
• International Economics (IECO) Field Advisor, SFS-Q, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
• Faculty mentor for students competitively awarded the QNRF Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) grants: 19 students across 4 grant cycles totaling US$190,000
• Member, Economics Faculty Search Committee, SFS-Q, Fall 2011 & Spring 2012, Fall 2012 & Spring 2013
• Member, Ad-Hoc Curriculum Committee, SFS-Q, Fall 2011
• Chair, SFS-Q Economics Faculty Search Committee, Fall 2008 & Spring 2009
• Member, SFS-Q Academic Rights and Responsibilities Committee, Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 Professional Services:
• Co-organizer, Doha Evidence Symposium: Increasing Youth Productivity in the Middle East and North Africa (jointly with ILO, Silatech and AUDI), March 6-8th 2014
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• Organizer, GUQ-IPA Executive Education on Impact Evaluation (jointly with Innovations with Poverty Action), Doha, June 5-6, 2012
• Member of International Editorial Board, Migration and Development, May 2012-present • Research Alliance for Development (RAD) Steering Committee, 2009 & 2010
• Conducted workshop on “Quantitative Methods: Multivariate Regressions,” Qatar University, January 2008
• Referee Reports: Journal of Development Economics, World Bank Economic Review, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, World Development, International Migration Review, Journal of Arabian Studies
Press Mentions:
• “Georgetown students promote financial literacy among migrants”, Peninsula Qatar, June 15, 2015 • “Georgetown Students Advance Financial Literacy in Qatar’s Migrant Community”, Marhaba, June
13, 2015
• “GU-Q programme gets global recognition”, Qatar Tribune, June 14, 2013
• “Swiss NGO selects Georgetown project to train migrants”, Peninsula Qatar, June 13, 2013 • “Saving for Living”, Peninsula Qatar (Plus) cover story, January 14th, 2013.
• “Promoting saving habit”, Peninsula Qatar, December 21st, 2013.
• “Educating migrants to manage their finances”, The Foundation, November 2012, vol. 47, pp. 24-25 • “Study highlights expatriates’ social issues in Qatar”, Gulf News, Match 1st, 2011.
• “Amid the recession, a rising ride of remittances”, Qatar Today, December 2009. • “(Migrant) Workers ‘unhappy’ with their savings”, Gulf Times, Qatar, Nov 19th, 2007.
