V. K. Ramachandran is an Indian economist known for his contributions to development economics, agrarian studies, and rural development in India. He is a former Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore Centre, and is serving as the Vice Chairperson of the Kerala State Planning Board since 2016. He is also associated with the Foundation for Agrarian Studies and serves as Editor of the peer-reviewed journal Review of Agrarian Studies.
Ramachandran served as Professor and Head of the Economic Analysis Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore Centre. His research has focused on agrarian relations, rural labour, class and caste inequalities, and issues of development policy in India.
He has been associated with research and policy institutions including the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.
In 2016, Ramachandran was appointed Vice Chairperson of the Kerala State Planning Board, the advisory body responsible for assisting the Government of Kerala in socio-economic planning and policy formulation.
According to the official website of the State Planning Board, he has contributed to the formulation of state development strategies and strengthening statistical and planning processes.
RamachandranâÂÂs work spans multiple areas within development studies, including:
He is the Managing Trustee of the Foundation for Agrarian Studies, a research organisation engaged in the study of agrarian relations and rural livelihoods.
He also serves as Editor of Review of Agrarian Studies, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on agrarian and rural research.
He has also authored and co-authored numerous academic articles and working papers on agrarian change and rural labour, indexed in academic databases.