Anit Mukherjee

Anit Mukherjee is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation America, leading the program on global economics and development. His work focuses on the use of digital technology to improve development outcomes in the Global South. These include design and implementation of digital public infrastructure for the delivery of public services, financial inclusion, and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Previously, as a Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development, he authored influential papers on biometric ID systems, digital financial services, and global standards for COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

With expertise in public expenditure management, he was Associate Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, from 2004-12. During his tenure at NIPFP, Anit was an advisor to India’s biometric ID program, Aadhaar, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) digital payments system. He conducted original research on digital governance in India, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.

Dr. Mukherjee holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Planning Sciences from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and has published in leading academic journals as well as reports for the World Bank, European Commission, and several UN organizations. Most recently, he was a member of the UN Working Group on Digital Public Infrastructure Safeguards Initiative, and is a member of the international advisory committee of the Center for Open Societal Systems. In 2024, he edited a volume on “Rebalancing Globalization: Perspectives from the Global South” and has previously co-authored a book on "Social Sector in a Decentralized Economy: India in the Era of Globalization" published in 2016.

Driven by his passion for exploration, he has lived and worked in Japan, Brazil, Yemen, and Sri Lanka and is currently a resident of Washington D.C.