An online publication of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University

Lakshmi Iyer and Susan L. Ostermann

Lakshmi Iyer is an Associate Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Her primary research fields are development economics and political economy, with a special emphasis on property rights and the distribution of political power within societies. Her research has examined many dimensions of the distribution of political power within developing countries, including the legacy of colonial rule, the division of authority between politicians and bureaucrats, and the determinants of conflict. She is currently working on several projects related to the determinants and consequences of women’s political participation, as well as the representation of religious minorities in political institutions. Iyer holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Indian Statistical Institute, and a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Susan L. Ostermann is an Assistant Professor of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on regulatory compliance in South Asia, employing both quantitative and qualitative methodology to understand the strategies used by Nepal and India to secure compliance with regulations related to environmental conservation, education and child labor regulations. She has also published papers on inter-caste marriage, the role of skin color in Indian politics, and the development and expansion of the Indian Election Commission. Ostermann holds a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a law degree from Stanford Law School and worked for several years as a practicing litigator, focusing on class actions and intellectual property disputes.

Posts From This Author

The Faith Factor: Reflections from a Recent Conference on Religion, Public Policy and Development in South Asia

By Lakshmi Iyer and Susan L. Ostermann // May 28, 2019May 29, 2019

A group of well-informed scholars and practitioners came together to discuss highly topical issues with an extremely engaged audience at the Notre Dame South Asia Conference in Washington DC, from May 14-15, 2019. The conference…