RESEARCH
Academic Papers (since 2021)
Under Review
Saraf, Priyam. “Interpreting Labor: Variations in Automation and Meanings of Labor among Emerging Economy Firms.”
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Best International Paper, Organization and Management Theory Section of the Academy of Management
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Runner-Up Carolyn B. Dexter Award, Academy of Management
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Honorable Mention, Best Student Paper Award, Sociology of Development Section of American Sociological Association
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Honorable Mention, Best Student Paper Award, Science, Knowledge, and Technology Section of American Sociological Association
Saraf, Priyam. “Searching for a Confidant: How do Family Firms Hire a Professional CEO in Emerging Markets?”
Draft (available upon request)
Saraf, Priyam. “How New Ideas Entered US Economics: Analyzing US Economic Dissertations (1980-2015) using Natural Language Processing.”
Saraf, Priyam. “How Climate-Ed Digital Platforms Are Shaping Professional Understandings of Climate Skills.”
Writing
Saraf, Priyam. “Studying Up Revisited: Ethnographic Approaches for Researching the Organizational Elite in Emerging Market Firms.”
Saraf, Priyam. “Middle-Range Theory to Explain Productivity Variations and Selection among Firms in Emerging Economies Catering to International Markets.”
Saraf, Priyam. “Buyer Power as a Shared Constraint: Merchandiser WhatsApp Networks and Price-Setting Behavior among Bangladeshi Garment Firms.”
Data Collection and Analysis
Saraf, Priyam. “A Field Experiment on Competence, Cultural Similarity and Controllability during Senior Executive Hiring Evaluations in Emerging Markets.”
Saraf, Priyam and Stefan Dimitriadis. “A Field Experiment on Adaptive Skills and Cash Transfer among Emerging Market Entrepreneurs.”
Saraf, Priyam and Arvind Karunakaran. “When and Why Mid-Career Professionals Transition into Climate or AI Jobs.”
Saraf, Priyam. “Varieties of Deinstitutionalization: Emerging Market Government Responses to the Discontinuity and Reinstatement of a Global Economic Performance Ranking System.”
Selected Peer Reviewed Publications
During my career as a World Bank Economist, I wrote several policy research papers for governments on strategies for inclusive economic growth. My audience included the governments of India, Pakistan, Mexico, Chile, Jamaica, Kenya, Ethiopia, among others, with whom I engaged and to whom I presented research findings.
Entrepreneurship
Saraf, Priyam, Julian Jamison, and Tasmia Rahman. 2019. “Group-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training Improves Mental Health of SME Entrepreneurs: Experimental Evidence from Conflict-Affected Areas of Pakistan.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series 8872.
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Media coverage: JPAL Evaluation Spotlights
Saraf, Priyam, Julian Jamison, Tasmia Rahman, Miguel Gallardo, and Charles Lor. 2019. “Improving Mental Well-Being and Productivity of Small-Medium Entrepreneurs in Fragile, Conflict and Violence-Affected Areas: Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Trainings Help?” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series 8489.
Saraf, Priyam. 2019. “Study of Fragility, Entrepreneurship and Mental Health: Investing in Better Cognitive and Behavioral Skills for Small Medium Enterprise Entrepreneurs to Thrive in Conflict-Affected Areas of Pakistan.” World Bank Book Series.
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Selected for Human Capital Spotlight (top innovative ideas in human capital at World Bank)
Suppliers in Global Value Chains
Haven, Thomas, Denny Bynoe, Rohan Longmore, and Priyam Saraf. 2022. “Creating Markets in Jamaica - Repositioning for Private Sector-led Sustainable Growth.” Country Private Sector Diagnostic. World Bank.
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World Bank Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Award for Research Excellence, 2022
Criscuolo, Alberto, Priyam Saraf, Esteban Ferro, and Sandra Cordova. 2018. “Regional Competitiveness of the Newly-Created Nuble Region in Chile.” World Bank Report for the Government of Nuble in Chile.
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Media Coverage (in Spanish): Chile Noticias Universidad de BioBio 2018; SanCarlos Online 2018
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Saraf, Priyam. 2016. “Automotive in South Asia: From Fringe to Global.” Sector Note for South Asia Regional Flagship Report. World Bank.
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World Bank Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Award for Research Excellence, 2016
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Media Coverage: Daily FT Sri Lanka 2017; MotorIndia 2017; AutoCar Professional 2017
Skill Development
Saraf, Priyam. 2017. “On-the-job Training: Returns, Barriers to Provision, and Policy Implications.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series 8090. Commissioned for the World Development Report (WDR) on Education. World Bank.
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Saraf, Priyam. 2014. “Is the Skill Gap as Big as Reported?” World Economic Forum.
Decentralization
Bonilla, Samuel, Meriem Goutali, Priyam Saraf, and Juontel White. 2013. “Enhancing School-Based Management in Decentralized Education Systems: Case of Ghana.” In Global Corruption Report: Education, edited by Transparency International. Taylor & Francis Group.
Book Review
Saraf, Priyam. 2012. Developing Living Cities: From Analysis to Action, by Seetharam Kallidaikurichi and Belinda Yuen. Journal of International Affairs. 65(2): 203.