Padma Desai

Padma Desai
Desai in 2015
Born(1931-10-12)October 12, 1931
Surat, Bombay Presidency, British India
DiedApril 29, 2023(2023-04-29) (aged 91)
Citizenship
  • India
  • United States
SpouseJagdish Bhagwati
Children1
AwardsPadma Bhushan (2009)
Academic background
Alma mater
Influences
Academic work
DisciplineDevelopment economics
InstitutionsColumbia University (1992–2023)

Padma Desai (October 12, 1931 – April 29, 2023) was an Indian-American development economist who was the Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of comparative economic systems and director of the Center for Transition Economies at Columbia University. Known for her scholarship on Soviet and Indian industrial policy, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009.