November
Professor Swati Mukerjee
Bentley University
For our November 2018 member of the month, the International Atlantic Economic Society welcomes Professor Swati Mukerjee. Professor Mukerjee received her Ph.D. in Economics from Boston University, and B.A. in Economics from Delhi School of Economics. Professor Mukerjee is currently serving as Professor of Economics at Bently University. Dr. Mukerjee’s research has been published in a book published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, and in leading economic journals such as Health Economics, Contemporary Economic Policy, Journal of Black Political Economy, Journal of Productivity Analysis and the Eastern Economic Journal. She has also published in peer-reviewed inter-disciplinary journals such as Journal of Social Indicators, Journal of Managerial Issues, and American Journal of Health Promotion and in general interest publications such as The Economic and Political Weekly of India.
Why did you become a member of the International Atlantic Economic Society?
I became a member in 2015 when I presented my paper “Religiosity and Health Through the Decades: Is There a Gender Difference?” During that conference, I met several economists who were also interested in working at the intersection of economics with other disciplines. I stayed in touch with several of the friends I made during this conference. In fact, one of them came over from Harvard where she was teaching, to speak in our departmental seminar series. Since then, I have kept up my membership status as I like the mission of IAES. New ideas are welcomed and yet rigor of analysis is demanded.
What types of projects/research are you currently working on and what inspired/motivated you to pursue these interests?
My research and publications show my fascination with carrying out economic analysis in topics that normally would not be considered to be in the domain of economics. I have worked on social interactions and health, measurement of diversity, job satisfaction and racial differences, religiosity and health, and in a recent paper, bullying and labor market outcomes. I have also been very interested in measures of quality and currently am working on quality measures for hospitals and looking at the sensitivity of these measures to different assumptions.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering entering your line of work/field of study?
I would first of all congratulate them on a wonderful choice! Today economics offers such a tremendously vast array of options to research, and with modern econometric techniques, it is exciting to see what one can figure out from the mess of huge data sets. Next, I would caution them that this is a marathon and not a sprint. It becomes a way of thinking, a way of life and that is why it is important to maintain balance. One way to do that is to make sure that you work consistently and avoid “binge working” unless there are deadlines. Work is most satisfying when other parts of your life are also going well. Juggling work and childcare, home maintenance, social networks is very challenging to do. In this regard, Paul Silvia’s book “How to Write a Lot” was wonderful (he does not know me and I have no personal axe to grind). It helped me set a steady and productive path of scholarship without losing my serenity!
Going forward, what other projects/research are you looking to or hoping to pursue?
As I mentioned, I am looking at quality measures for hospitals. I am also hoping to contribute to the domestic violence literature with the help of an excellent data set that is available from Turkey, thanks to a colleague of mine.
What’s your favorite hobby?
I am an artist, or so I tell myself! I love working with flowing paints, color and texture. I also enjoy cooking Indian food and have devised a method to teach anyone to be a proficient “throw things together and make an authentic Indian dish” kind of cook!