Spandan Roy
  Iowa State University 

I am an aspiring macroeconomist with research interests in structural transformation, development, human capital, and taxation. My work examines how economies transition across sectors—agriculture, manufacturing, and services—driven by endogenous human capital growth, trade openness, and fiscal policy. I aim to bridge theoretical models of structural change with practical insights for policy design in developing economies.

More broadly, my research focuses on macroeconomic policy in capital-constrained environments, with an emphasis on optimal taxation and debt management. I study how governments can design welfare-improving tax and borrowing strategies under external financing constraints.

My dissertation explores the role of debt maturity and the trade-offs between lump sum and proportional taxation in shaping intertemporal welfare outcomes. I use tools from dynamic programming, general equilibrium modeling, and numerical simulation to analyze these questions.

Prior to my Ph.D., I earned a Master’s in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from  Jadavpur University. I have also worked as a Research Analyst at the Institute of Economic Growth, focusing on empirical and policy-relevant economic analysis.