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My research interests include rural finance, poverty alleviation, and governance in South Asia, mainly Bangladesh and India. In South Asian countries, formal and semi-formal financial institutions have been increasing their lending to rural populations because rural finance is considered a vital tool for poverty alleviation and rural development. But there are still many informal transactions, which indicates a large unmet need for financial services. I have focused my research on the interactions between the formal and informal financial sectors.

Governance matters because it affects the economic performance of a society. If corruption is rampant and judicial and law enforcement institutions do not work, developmental efforts are hampered as a result of increased transaction costs of the economy. I am now focusing on ongoing challenges in improving governance in Bangladesh and India.