Degrees prior to starting this degree program:

Bachelor of Arts (BA) Economics, University of Notre Dame, 2014 (Minor in Anthropology)

Master of Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID), Harvard University, 2018

Professional experience prior to starting this degree program:

Research Associate at JPAL South Asia, based in India. Project on studying the impact of microfinance access.

Consultant at World Bank on studying livelihoods of rural farmers.

Senior Research Manager at Growth Lab, Harvard University. Projects on industrial policy and economic growth and development.

Areas of Interest:

Economic anthropology, Anthropology of development, Energy, extraction, environment, State-making, Sub-Saharan Africa

Field Research Plans/History:

Nikita Taniparti’s research draws on her experience as an economist in the field of international development. She has worked in India, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Australia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Namibia, and Azerbaijan.

Now, she is broadly interested in understanding how growth and economic development are interacting with current global decarbonization efforts. Her research aims to study the investment in and production of green hydrogen in Namibia and the moral affect towards evolving economic structures amidst worsening climate change. Nikita’s research aims to ask questions about how Namibians are witnessing rapid socioeconomic changes as a result of massive inflows of capital investment in energy and extraction. She asks how these changes might shape Namibians’ conceptions of nationality, belonging, and hope.

Publications, Multimedia Projects:

Taniparti, Nikita. “Double Standards: Ethiopia Must Solve its Internal Displacement Crisis.” The Globe Post. January 9, 2020.

Taniparti, Nikita. “The Ruse of Repatriation: Why the Current Efforts to Repatriate the Rohingya back to Myanmar Will Fail.” Kennedy School Review. November 12, 2019.

Taniparti, Nikita. “The Worries of ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ on Mental Health.” The Wire. May 11, 2018.

Taniparti, Nikita. “What Happened When I Tried to Teach Harvard Undergrads About Inequality and Poverty” Quartz. January 5, 2018.

Taniparti, Nikita. “Notre Dame Burst My Bubble. Let’s Burst Harvard’s.” Huffington Post. November 15, 2017.

Membership/activities in graduate student events or organizations:

Writing Center Fellow