About

Achyuta Adhvaryu is a Tata Chancellor's Endowed Professor of Economics and Director of the 21st Century India Center at the University of California, San Diego. His research focuses on development, organizations, health, and applied microeconomics, with a particular interest in understanding the impact of policies and institutions on economic outcomes.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Law
• Economics
• Library science
• Medicine
• Management
• Medical education
• World Wide Web
• Public relations
• Economic system
• Economic growth
• Development economics

Selected publications

• Great Expectations: Responses to Current and Future Transfers for Low-Income Individuals

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• How Do You Identify a Good Manager?

  The Quarterly Journal of Economics · 2026-01-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We introduce and validate a novel approach to identifying good managers. In a preregistered lab experiment, we causally identify managerial contributions by randomly assigning managers to teams and controlling for individual skill. We find that manager contributions are crucial for team success, and that people who self-select into management roles perform worse than randomly assigned managers. Managerial performance is strongly predicted by economic decision-making skill but not by demographic characteristics. Two validation studies support our experimental results. Participants who succeed in the lab receive more real-world promotions and, in a separate study of retail store managers, skill measures strongly predict store sales. A one standard deviation increase in manager quality increases annual per store sales by US$4.1 million (25% increase). Selecting managers on skills rather than demographic characteristics or the desire to lead could substantially improve organizational performance.

  PublisherDOI

• Enhancing informal workers’ tools to reduce workplace injuries: a quasi-randomized control trial of electronic waste recyclers in Thailand

  Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · 2025-11-11

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), there is mixed evidence on the effectiveness of interventions in improving workplace conditions among hazardous industries. In Thailand, a particularly hazardous industry with high injuries is informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling. We investigated whether developing an optimized tool to dismantle e-waste would reduce injuries. METHODS: We conducted a quasi-randomized control trial to determine the perceptions and efficacy of the optimized tool in reducing worker injuries over three months among 89 workers. The optimized tool for dismantling e-waste was designed following employee and business owner input using conjoint analysis. Workers were quasi-randomized into an intervention (ie, receiving the tool) or control (ie, not receiving) group from an auction. We conducted differences-in-differences Poisson regression to examine differences in self-reported injuries and near misses over three months follow-up between the intervention and control groups. RESULTS: Among 44 workers who received the tool, workers self-reported that the tool created a safer work environment and reduced near misses, hammer danger, hand vibrations and hand pain. Among 42 workers (21 treatments, 21 controls) with complete information, the intervention reduced self-reported injuries over three months [difference-in-differences: -58%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -19- -79%]. Similar reductions in near misses were observed but not statistically significant (-53%, 95% CI -92-173%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that meaningful reductions in injury risk for specific types of work can be achieved with co-designed tools optimized to consider inputs from multiple stakeholders. This approach can be especially useful in resource-constrained environments, including working conditions in LMIC.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cognitive Level Enhancement through Vision Exams and Refraction (CLEVER): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

  Trials · 2025-03-28 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Longitudinal observational studies have found an association between vision impairment and accelerated decline in cognition. However, no randomised trials have assessed the possible benefit of vision correction on cognitive change. We present the protocol for a three-year randomised controlled trial designed to assess the impact of spectacles for distance and/or near vision correction on cognitive change among community-dwelling elderly participants in India. METHODS: Cognitive Level Enhancement through Vision Exams and Refraction (CLEVER) is a single-centre, open-label, parallel-group, individually-randomised trial. Participants (760 total, 380 in each arm) aged ≥ 60 years with correctable vision impairment at distance and/or near (presenting visual acuity < 6/18 in the better-seeing eye and improving to > = 6/18 with spectacles and/or presenting near vision worse than N6 at 40 cm and improving to N6 with spectacles), normal hearing (able to repeat at least three out of six words whispered from a 50 cm distance in the better ear) and normal cognition (Hindi Mini-mental Status Examination score > 18/31) will be enrolled. After a comprehensive eye examination, intervention group participants will receive distance, near, or bifocal spectacles, while controls will receive a prescription and spectacles at the end of the trial. The primary outcome will be the three-year change in Longitudinal Aging Study in India-Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI DAD) global cognitive factor score, with and without adjustment for baseline score, age, gender, education and other potential confounders. CONCLUSION: CLEVER is designed to assess the effectiveness of spectacles as a low-cost intervention to prevent or delay cognitive decline. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT05458323, February 15, 2023.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• How do you identify a good manager?

  2025-09-23

  report1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Digital Remittances for Female Migrant Workers in India: An Unfulfilled Promise

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Sotto Voce: The Impacts of Technology to Enhance Worker Voice

  The Economic Journal · 2025-07-29

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract We conducted a randomised controlled trial in which we enabled workers to directly and anonymously communicate with human resources through mobile-phone-based technology. Treated workers were much more likely to know about the tool than controls, though usage was low: only 5% of treated workers reported ever using it. Despite this, turnover and absenteeism were 10% and 5% lower, respectively, for treated versus control workers. Together these findings suggest a substantial option value of enhancing worker voice, which can promote positive workplace behaviours even when workers do not directly avail themselves of the technology.

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of Employer-Enabled Performance-Linked Savings on Savings Behavior of Workers and Firm Performance in the Garment Industry

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2024-01-03

  dataset1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Studying the latent demand of female labour

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2024-05-03

  dataset1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Effects of Employer-Enabled Performance-Linked Savings on Savings Behavior of Workers and Firm Performance in the Garment Industry

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2024-01-03

  dataset1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• The Intra-household Distribution of Food and Health Resources amongst Children

  NIH · $652k · 2012–2018

Frequent coauthors

• Anant Nyshadham

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  207 shared

• James Fenske

  59 shared

• Namrata Kala

  53 shared

• Gaurav Khanna

  39 shared

• Teresa Molina

  University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

  35 shared

• Jorge Tamayo

  21 shared

• Steve Bednar

  Elon University

  15 shared

• Siddharth Sharma

  9 shared

Education

• Ph.D., economics

  Yale University

  2009

• B.A., math and economics

  University of Pennsylvania

  2004