Dr Apurba Shee is a Professor of Applied Economics in the Food and Markets Department within the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich and an ESRC Policy Fellow at the UK Ministry of Justice. Apurba holds an M.S. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and a PhD in Applied Economics from Penn State University. Before joining NRI in 2017, he worked as an economist for six years in the CGIAR institutions, first at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and then at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability for rural populations in developing countries.
Apurba's research interests are in the fields of applied microeconomics, development economics, agricultural finance, and applied econometrics. He is an experienced researcher on innovative climate risk financing, adaptation, and food systems resilience. Apurba undertakes research to identify what works in real-world contexts and their social and economic impacts to inform and shape effective public policy. His research relies on experiments and observational data. Having been based in Africa (2012-2017), he has extensive experience conducting research throughout the continent (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast). In addition, he has extensive experience in promoting microfinance and women empowerment collectives in India. His research has been published in leading agricultural economics journals and policy forums.
He has led or co-led many internationally recognised research projects as the Principal Investigator or a Co-Investigator in the UK, Asia, and Africa. His research projects have been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the African Union, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Apurba is currently leading (Principal Investigator) two major three-year research projects: The project “Economic and Empowerment Impacts of Millet Enterprises by Women Collectives”, funded by 3ie under the Swashakt program supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he is leading a large international team of researchers from UK and India. He is co-leading the project “Risk Contingent Credit for Resilience and Food Security” in Kenya and Ethiopia in partnership with IFPRI, funded by GIZ.
Apurba has contributed to improved policymaking by translating complex research information through clear communication both in the UK and overseas in addressing economic and social problems by developing innovative evidence-based research. Along with his NRI role, he is an ESRC Policy Fellow at the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ), working across several civil service analyst teams to provide evidence-based policy advice to reduce reoffending and protect the public; specifically, provide expert advice and review various experimentation and evaluation projects to make better decisions to improve justice outcomes in the UK.