CSWE, formerly CITD, began as the Economics Division of erstwhile Indian School of International Studies that integrated with JNU in 1970 as the School of International Studies (SIS). Later, the division became a part of Centre for Studies in Diplomacy, International Law and Economics (CSDILE) at SIS. An independent centre, Centre for International Trade and Development (CITD) was born out of the Economics Division in July 2005. In April 2025, CITD was rechristened as CSWE, Centre for the Study of the World Economy.
Initially the Centre was geared primarily towards research, running very successful Ph.D. and M.Phil. programmes for several decades. The Centre’s Ph.D. programme commenced in 1969, even before the erstwhile Indian School of International Studies integrated with JNU. The M.Phil. programme that started in 1971 was discontinued in 2022 following UGC recommendation. A unique MA programme in Economics (with specialization in the World Economy) was introduced in 1995 keeping in mind the changing economic environment of India and its integration with the world economy.
CSWE currently offers two academic programs: MA in Economics (with specialization in World Economy) and a Ph.D. in Economics (World Economy). Both programs aim to equip students with skills, knowledge and tools to analyze, comprehend, and address global economic issues. The curricula for both programmes are designed such that the core courses provide foundations in economics discipline while optional courses cover a wide range of specializations including International Trade Economics, Development Economics, Economics of Technology, Natural Resources, Financial Economics, Information Economics, Law and Economics, Public Finance, Economics of Human Capital, Environment and Sustainable Development etc. Each of the two programmes is running successfully for several decades and has emerged as one of the most sought-after programmes for higher education in the field of Economics in India.
Over the years, CSWE (formerly CITD) has created a niche for itself in teaching and research in areas of global economic importance. The first head was the renowned economist, the late Professor A K Dasgupta. He was succeeded by our distinguished colleague Professor Ashok Guha, who was the guiding force of the Centre since 1963, until his retirement. He continued to be involved in the teaching programmes of the Centre until recently. Former faculty include B.S. Minhas, Subimal Mukherji, Partha Dasgupta and others. Stalwarts like John Hicks, James Meade and Robert Baldwin have visited the division to deliver lecture-series.
The Centre is currently served by distinguished faculty members who thrive to maintain the highest academic standards in teaching, and produce high quality, cutting-edge research and regularly publish articles in the leading academic journals of their field. Faculty members have been conferred with various honours, awards and distinctions for their academic and professional contributions. They have secured highly competitive research funds, are invited to visit reputed economic departments, are editorial board members of high ranked journals, and serve as experts on various government committees contributing to academics and policy making.
Our graduates are well established in India and abroad, holding positions of great responsibility in academic institutions, government agencies, international organizations and the corporate houses.
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CSWE About us
CSWE About us
CSWE About us
A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.
Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.
The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.
Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.