Ashish Desai

Visiting Professor

· Visiting Faculty

Prof Ashish Desai is an Associate Professor at SPJIMR, Mumbai, and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. With over 30 years of experience across South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, he has led the development and growth of technology-driven financial services businesses, including digital banking, microfinance, livelihoods, and digital public infrastructure. He previously served as Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at NITI Aayog’s Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) and as an Advisor to ONDC, a Government of India initiative.
His research centres on digital financial literacy, women’s entrepreneurship and livelihoods, and digital public infrastructure., alternative data, remote sensing for public policy, and technology governance. Prof Desai holds a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from VJTI, Mumbai and a PhD from IIM Kozhikode.

Editorial Board

Public Administration and Development

Special Guest Editor

Collaborative Governance and Digital Transformations in the Global South: Evidence and Insights from India, International Journal of Public Administration
Creation of Public Value through Digital Transformation and Digital Public Infrastructure, Public Administration and Development
M&E@70: Strengthening India’s Evidence Systems for Accelerated Reforms and Inclusive Growth; DMEO, NITI Aayog. ISBN: 978-81-953811-6-6

Research Interests

Education

PhD, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
Master of Management Studies, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai
BTech, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai

Publications

Investigation of Mobile Payments aiding Women Microentrepreneurs: Evidence from Rural India. Information Syst Front

Pal, A., Desai, A. & De’, R. Investigation of Mobile Payments aiding Women Microentrepreneurs: Evidence from Rural India. Information Syst Front (2026).

Can loan characteristics cushion the impact of an exogenous shock on subsistence entrepreneurs? Evidence from India

Desai, A. D., Sensarma, R., & Thomas, A. (2025) Can loan characteristics cushion the impact of an exogenous shock on subsistence entrepreneurs? Evidence from India. Applied Economics, 58(3), 451-467.

From stories to structure: Menstrual hygiene management in Indian informal urban settlements

Desai A & Desai S, From stories to structure: Menstrual hygiene management in Indian informal urban settlements. Women Studies International Forum

Public value creation through combined consumption of multiple public services–case of India stack

Desai, A., Manoharan, A. P., Jayanth, S. S., & Zack, S. (2024). Public value creation through combined consumption of multiple public services–case of India stack. International Journal of public administration, 47(9)

Digital transformation and public administration: The impacts of india’s digital public infrastructure

Desai, A., & Manoharan, A. P. (2024). Digital transformation and public administration: The impacts of india’s digital public infrastructure. International Journal of Public Administration

Roles of financial literacy and entrepreneurial orientation in economic empowerment of rural women entrepreneurs

Desai, A. D., Sensarma, R., & Thomas, A. (2024). Roles of financial literacy and entrepreneurial orientation in economic empowerment of rural women entrepreneurs. Oxford Development Studies, 52(3), 243-260

The Role of Business Training in Improving Digital Financial Literacy: Evidence from a Field Experiment for Subsistence Women Entrepreneurs.

Desai, A., Sensarma, R., & Thomas, A. (2025). The Role of Business Training in Improving Digital Financial Literacy: Evidence from a Field Experiment for Subsistence Women Entrepreneurs. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 26(2), 199-209.

Projects