Nara Sritharan
Visiting Assistant Research Professor, AidData & Department of Economics, William & Mary
Steering Group Member and Co-Founder, Diversifying and Decolonising Economics (D-Econ)
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I am a Visiting Assistant Research Professor at AidData with a joint appointment at the William & Mary Department of Economics. I serve on the Steering Group and am a Co-Founder of Diversifying and Decolonising Economics (D-Econ). My research spans development economics, political economy, and migration studies, with a regional focus on South Asia and the Middle East.

My work is organized around three core research streams:

• Development Finance and Foreign Aid: I examine how non-traditional donors—particularly the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—deploy development finance in the Global South, and the implications for governance, public opinion, and geopolitical alignment.
  
  

• Migration and Remittances: I study the role of remittances in fragile and conflict-affected economies, the vulnerabilities of migrant workers (especially in South Asia and the Gulf), and the ripple effects of global transitions—such as decarbonization—on labor-exporting countries.
  
  

• Identity, Inclusion, and Political Economy: I explore how development interventions affect marginalized communities, with a focus on Indigenous rights, displacement, and social cohesion. This includes transdisciplinary research on water governance, infrastructure, and environmental justice.
  
  

I am also part of the Nepal Water Initiative, an interdisciplinary research collaboration focused on water resource management, Indigenous rights, and environmental sustainability in Nepal.

Across these areas, I use mixed methods—including causal inference, qualitative interviews, and participatory approaches—and collaborate closely with students, policymakers, and local partners.