Surjit Bhalla

Surjit Bhalla is an Indian economist, author, and columnist who served as Executive Director for India at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Bhalla has also been a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the second Modi government.

Throughout his career, Bhalla has held various positions, including Chairperson for the High Level Advisory Group on Trade at the Ministry of Commerce and Economic Adviser to the Fifteenth Finance Commission of the Government of India. He has also been a regular invitee to the Aspen Institute Program on World Economy in the USA since 2002 and as a Contributing Editor for the Indian Express since 2014.

Bhalla has taught at the Delhi School of Economics and served in executive roles at think tanks like the Policy Group in New Delhi and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). His research career spans institutions such as the RAND Corporation, the Brookings Institution, and the World Bank. Furthermore, he has held consultancy roles and positions at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs.

As an author, Bhalla's work encompasses several books and over 1300 articles that delve into globalization, economic policy, and the socio-economic dynamics of India and the global economy. His notable publications include "Imagine There’s no Country" (2002), "Second Among Equals – The Middle Class Kingdoms of India and China" (2007), "Devaluing to Prosperity" (2012), "The New Wealth of Nations" (2017), and "Citizen Raj: Indian Elections 1952-2019", which provides an analysis of Indian electoral politics.

Bhalla has a PhD in Economics from Princeton University, a Master in Public and International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and a BSEE degree from Purdue University.