Institute of Economic Growth

What Institute of Economic Growth does

The Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) is a Delhi-based, nonprofit research and training institute founded in 1958 by economist V.K.R.V. Rao on the University of Delhi North Campus, with an operating mandate in economic and social development research. Its core activities are organized around nine specialized research units and themes: Agricultural and Rural Development, Environmental and Natural Resources, Globalization and Trade, Health Economics and Policy (via the Health Policy Research Unit, est. 1998), Industry and Development, Macroeconomic Analysis, Population and Human Resources (via the Population Research Centre), and Social Change and Social Structure. Underlying methods are macro-econometric modeling, statistical analysis, survey-based research, and qualitative approaches — classical development-economics tooling rather than software products. The institute also delivers training programs to probationers from the Indian Economic Service, Indian Statistical Service, Indian Audit and Accounts Service, and senior officers of NABARD, and runs seasonal schools (Summer School on Causal Inference, Winter School) and on-demand short courses.

IEG's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue flows from ICSSR maintenance and development grants, the Ministry of Agriculture (the primary agricultural research funder since inception), the RBI Endowment Unit, and endowed chairs from HDFC Bank and Tata Group. Outputs — working papers, journal articles, book chapters, policy briefs, books, conferences, and seminars — are distributed open-access through the website at no charge, which means the institute is funded as a public-good research utility rather than a revenue-generating enterprise. Customer segments are government policy makers (primary), government service probationers and researchers (primary), and academic researchers in development economics (secondary), with marquee convening power demonstrated through the Kautilya Economic Conclave featuring sitting Union Ministers and the institution's historical relationship with former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as Board of Trustees President from 1992 to 2021. Professor Sabyasachi Kar was appointed Director in February 2025.

Name

Institute of Economic Growth

Legal name

Institute of Economic Growth

Website

https://iegindia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) is a Delhi-based, nonprofit research and training institute founded in 1958, conducting policy-oriented research and capacity-building in development economics for Indian government ministries, central services probationers, and academic researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Policy Research and Training Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

Keywords

• Economic policy research
• Development economics studies
• Government training programs
• Agricultural economics research
• Health economics policy

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) is a nonprofit research and training institute that conducts policy-oriented economic and social development research through specialised thematic and unit-based divisions (agricultural economics, environment and resource economics, health policy, industry, population, social change, macroeconomic analysis) and delivers structured training programs for government service probationers and institutions. It disseminates findings via working papers, journal articles, policy briefs, and books, and convenes high-profile conferences and seminars (including the Kautilya Economic Conclave) that bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

Product overview

The Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) is a premier research institute affiliated with the University of Delhi, offering a portfolio of research, training, and academic services rather than commercial software products. The core offerings include research publications (working papers, journal articles, policy briefs), Training On Demand programs for government officials and institutions, specialized research across multiple thematic units (agriculture, health, environment, macroeconomics, population), and regular events including conferences and seminars. IEG's structure combines a unified research mandate with distinct specialized units and thematic areas, organized under themes like Agricultural and Rural Development, Health Economics and Policy, and Macroeconomic Analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications Academic publications — including working papers, journal articles, book chapters, and policy briefs — produced by IEG faculty and researchers and made available through the institute's website, covering economics, development, health policy, environmental and resource economics, agriculture, and social policy. Targeted at policymakers, the academic community, and the public.
• Training On Demand Short-term, on-request orientation and refresher courses organised by IEG for government departments, public institutions, and similar clients, typically subject-specific and covering areas such as industrial policy, agricultural policy, and environment and development.
• Specialised Research Units and Themes Specialised research divisions organised thematically and as named units at IEG, covering Agricultural and Rural Development, Environmental and Natural Resources, Industry and Development, Population and Human Resources, Social Change and Social Structure, Health Economics and Policy, Macroeconomic Analysis, Employment and Labour, and supporting units such as the Agricultural Economics Unit, Development Planning Centre, Environment and Resource Economics Unit, Health Policy Research Unit, IES Training Section, Population Research Centre, RBI Endowment Unit, Social Change and Social Structure Unit, Tata Chair Unit, and HDFC Chair Unit.
• Events and Conferences Recurring academic seminars, workshops, lecture series, and conferences organised by IEG, including the IEG Seminar, IEG Workshop, IEG-SAGE Lecture Series, IEG-EGC Yale-IEIC Workshop, the IEG Summer School on Causal Inference, the IEG Winter School, the Annual Conference on Finance and Markets, the Kautilya Economic Conclave (a major annual event with Union ministers as keynote speakers), and IARNIW Annual Conference.
• Fellowship Programs Research fellowships offered by IEG for scholars and practitioners in development economics and related fields.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025RBI Endowment Unit at IEG specializes in macroeconomic research with a focus on the Indian economy. The RBI supports research activities and the institute provides research inputs relevant to RBI's policy functions.
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)minorOthersSenior officers of NABARD participate in short-term orientation courses organized by IEG, receiving training in subjects like industrial policy, agricultural policy, and environmental economics.
• Yale UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEG-EGC (Economic Growth Center) Yale-IEIC Workshop on Women in Leadership in Economics indicates collaborative academic partnership with Yale University's Economic Growth Center.
• Indian Economic Service (IES)coreOthersIEG provides training to IES Officer Trainees, with regular sessions conducted at the institute. This includes seminars and workshops where IEG faculty interact with government economic service officers.
• University of DelhicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEG is located within the University of Delhi North Campus and maintains collaborative relationships with Delhi School of Economics (DSE) and other university departments for joint seminars and research activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Policy Research (CPR): New Delhi-based think tank conducting research across governance, economic policy, and international relations. Comparable to IEG in policy-research mandate, training-of-government-stakeholders focus, and convening authority, though with broader thematic scope.
• Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS): Chennai-based research institute focused on development economics and social sciences. Comparable to IEG in development-economics mandate, training programs, and government-funded nonprofit structure, though serving a different Indian region.
• Centre for Development Studies (CDS): Thiruvananthapuram-based institute focused on development economics with strong research and training mandate. Comparable to IEG in academic-policy hybrid model and government partnership structure.
• National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER): India's oldest and largest economic policy research think tank, founded in 1956. Most directly comparable to IEG in mandate (Indian economic and policy research), funding model (government + corporate grants), and product mix (surveys, policy briefs, conferences).
• Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER): New Delhi-based policy think tank focused on economic policy and international economic relations. Closely comparable to IEG in policy-research mandate, government-stakeholder engagement, and training-event offerings, though with a stronger international-economics focus.
• Indian Statistical Institute (ISI): Premier Indian academic institution of statistical and economic research and training. Comparable to IEG in government-affiliated research and training programs, including ISS probationer training, and in econometric methodology.
• National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP): Autonomous research institute under India's Ministry of Finance focused on public finance and policy. Comparable to IEG in its nonprofit, government-affiliated structure and in training public-finance economists.
• Council for Social Development: ICSSR-funded research institute focused on social development research. Comparable to IEG in ICSSR-grant-funded nonprofit model and in policy-oriented social-science research mandate.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Global nonprofit policy research institution. Comparable to IEG in nonprofit, government-funded research model and in rigorous policy-analysis methodology, though operating at vastly larger scale and across many geographies.
• Brookings Institution India: Global policy think tank with an India centre. Comparable to IEG in policy-research mandate and convening authority, though with substantially larger funding base, international footprint, and broader thematic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iegresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstituteofEconomicGrowth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-economics-growth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Economic Growth