Vijayendra Rao
Lead Economist, Development Research Group, World Bank
Vijayendra Rao is a development economist and interdisciplinary social scientist whose research examines how norms, culture, and political economy shape human agency, inequality, and democratic participation. He is currently Lead Economist at the Development Research Group at the World Bank. From March-June 2026 he will be the Roberta Buffet Distinguished Scholar-Practitioner in Residence at Northwestern University.
Recent work by Vijayendra Rao
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Five reasons growth didn’t translate to well-being in Malaysia
In recent decades, Malaysia achieved rapid inclusive growth, yet focus group discussions with Malaysian citizens across the country have reported stagnating living standards and rising dissatisfaction. This disconnect reflects pressures not captured ...
Published 11.03.26
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Qualitative interviews at scale: A new method with an application to aspirations
We develop a new method to analyse open-ended qualitative interviews with large samples, and apply it to interviews with Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi hosts on parent’s aspirations for children, revealing dimensions of aspiration that standard su...
Published 17.02.26