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Shaonlee Patranabis

PhD Student in Economic Geography
About

About

I am currently a PhD Student at the LSE's Department of Geography and Environment. I am a part of the Economic Geography Cluster.

Previously, I have worked at the Centre for Social and Economic Policy (formerly Brookings Institution India Center), New Delhi, where I specialised in housing and property rights. I hold a Master’s degree from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (2017-2019), where I specialized in Urban Policy and Governance, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Delhi.

Currently, I am interested in the factors that make housing unaffordable in India, inefficiencies in housing markets and figuring out what impact, if any, does the legacy of colonialism on regulation have.

I love making maps, petting cats, and exploring cities.

Supervisors:

Prof Christian Hilber
Prof Olmo Silva

Publications:

Peer-reviewed publication:

  • Gandhi, S., Green, R. K., & Patranabis, S. Insecure property rights and the housing market: Explaining India’s housing vacancy paradox. Journal of Urban Economics. Read article.
  • Tandel, V., Gandhi, S. , Patranabis, S., Bettencourt, L. ,& Malani A. (2021) Infrastructure, enforcement and COVID-19 in Mumbai: A first look. Journal of Regional Science. Read article.

Working papers:

  • Patranabis, S., & Gandhi, S. (2021). Can property rights improve access to toilets for the urban poor? Evidence from India. CSEP Working Paper (September 28, 2021).
  • Gandhi, S., Green, R. K., & Patranabis, S. (2021). India’s housing vacancy paradox: How rent control and weak contract enforcement produce unoccupied units and a housing shortage at the same time.

Awards:

  • Warnford Scholarship
  • Ami and Raj Kotecha Scholarship

Expertise

Housing Markets, Land Ownership, Titling, Property Rights