Poorvi Kumar Iyer

Dr Poorvi Iyer is a Research Officer in Experimental Games at the Department of Methodology, LSE.

She holds a PhD in Social Research Methods from LSE, an MSc in Social Research Methods from LSE, and an MSc in Behavioural Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research investigates how social hierarchies are reproduced through the fabric of everyday life, with a particular focus on the micro-social mechanisms through which caste and gender inequalities are sustained across generations in India. Drawing on the concept of maryada (or performative acts of deference), she examines how identity performance, social scrutiny, and context shape behaviour, treating hierarchy not as a static structure but as something constantly made and remade through social interaction.

Poorvi's research draws on a range of methods, including qualitative interviews, survey experiments, and economic games, reflecting a commitment to methodological pluralism rather than working within a single tradition. She is also interested in developing better tools for studying identity and social preferences across diverse cultural contexts, particularly in the Global South.

Poorvi's research interests include: Social hierarchies, identity, and everyday behaviour; caste and gender in India; mixed-methods and experimental research design; cross-cultural approaches to studying social inequality.

Her expertise includes mixed-methods research, and social hierarchies.