Rajabrata Banerjee (aka Raj Banerjee) is a Professor of Applied Economics and a Professorial Lead at the UniSA Business School. Raj holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Calcutta (Scottish Church College), an MA in Economics from Jadavpur University, and a PhD in Economics from Monash University.
Raj’s research sits at the intersection of economics and finance, with a strong focus on applied development economics. With a particular focus on mental health and well-being, financial behaviour, and the effectiveness of foreign aid, his work addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing communities in both emerging and developed economies. Driven by a commitment to inclusive and sustainable... Read more
About me
Rajabrata Banerjee (aka Raj Banerjee) is a Professor of Applied Economics and a Professorial Lead at the UniSA Business School. Raj holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Calcutta (Scottish Church College), an MA in Economics from Jadavpur University, and a PhD in Economics from Monash University.
Raj’s research sits at the intersection of economics and finance, with a strong focus on applied development economics. With a particular focus on mental health and well-being, financial behaviour, and the effectiveness of foreign aid, his work addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing communities in both emerging and developed economies. Driven by a commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, Professor Banerjee explores how institutional systems and policies influence individual and collective well-being. His research investigates the economic determinants of mental health, the behavioural patterns that shape financial decision-making, the underlying economic and institutional drivers of adverse social outcomes, including social exclusion and criminal behaviour, and the conditions under which foreign aid can be most effective in fostering long-term development outcomes. His scholarly works have been published in numerous high-quality international journals, reflecting the depth and impact of his work within the global academic community.
Beyond academia, Professor Banerjee’s research has had far-reaching influence, informing public policy, community development initiatives, and leadership programs across sectors. He has contributed to several collaborative research grant projects supported by national and international think tanks and funding bodies. Raj has co-led grant-funded initiatives supported by the Federal Government of Australia, including the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC). Other industry and government partners include the ANZ Bank, not-for-profit organizations like the Ecstra Foundation, and the Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG) program funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government. These projects have focused on policy-relevant issues, such as mental health and wellbeing, economic impact evaluations, regional development, and financial literacy.
He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Economic Society of Australia, American Economic Association, Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability (Monash University), and a fellow of the South Australian Governor’s Leadership Foundation program.
Prof Banerjee has a passion for teaching and has taught a broad range of economics courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A committed educator and mentor, Professor Banerjee also plays a key role in developing future leaders in economics and policy. His work exemplifies how applied research can drive meaningful change, bridging the gap between data and decision-making, scholarship and society. As a Professorial Lead, Raj works closely with the Deans of the Business Faculty and is responsible for teaching quality and assurance of a broad range of programs/courses within UniSA Business. He is also an active research degree supervisor.
Follow him at ResearchGate.
About me
About me
Doctor of Philosophy Monash University
Master of Arts Jadavpur University
Bachelor of Science University of Calcutta, India
Research Grants Highlights:
2025-26: Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS), NDIS service evaluation project (joint with Prof Saravana Kumar, Prof Marion Eckert, Assoc Prof Micah Peters, Mr Greg Sharplin, Ms Kim Neylon, Ms Georgia Gosse, and Ms Esther Tian). Total Project value: $90,000.
2025: Grant funded by the Hospital Research Foundation Group (THRFG) on evaluating the Parkinson’s Nurse Specialists Service in South Australia (joint with Prof Marion Eckert and team members from UniSA Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre, Prof. Saravana Kumar from UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance, and Dr Suzanne Sharrad from UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences). Total Project value: $235,731.
... Read moreResearch
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
DSS_Service Dogs_EAC Expert Research Services, Cwth Dept of Social Services, 25/06/2025 - 30/06/2026
Parkinson's Nurse Specialists Service Evaluation, The Hospital Research Foundation, 01/05/2025 - 31/10/2025
Does the Presence of Foreign Firms Influence the Energy Consumption Behavior of Local Firms? Evidence from Ethiopia, Centre for Economic Policy Research, 01/04/2024 - 31/08/2025
Evaluation Study of a Financial Scam Awareness Workshop, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, 17/07/2024 - 31/08/2025
Institutions to support intensification, integrated decision making and inclusiveness in agriculture in the East Gangetic Plain, ACIAR-Research and Development Program, 30/06/2018 - 30/09/2021
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2021 |
Open access
2
|
| 2021 |
Open access
3
|
| 2021 |
Open access
|
| 2020 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2023 |
Open access
2
2
1
|
| 2023 |
Open access
1
1
|
| 2023 |
Open access
6
7
6
|
| 2023 |
Open access
4
4
1
|
| 2022 |
Open access
16
15
2
|
| 2022 |
Open access
11
13
1
|
| 2021 |
Open access
8
9
1
|
| 2021 |
Open access
207
190
38
|
| 2021 |
Open access
19
19
|
| 2020 |
Open access
49
46
|
| 2020 |
Open access
94
80
|
| 2019 |
Open access
13
12
4
|
| 2019 |
Open access
30
29
|
| 2019 |
Open access
44
40
1
|
| 2019 |
Open access
45
35
2
|
| 2018 |
1
1
1
|
| 2017 |
58
55
2
|
| 2017 |
Open access
54
50
1
|
| 2016 |
5
3
|
| 2016 |
4
4
2
|
| 2016 |
|
| 2014 |
41
20
|
| 2014 |
Open access
4
|
| 2014 |
|
| 2013 |
Open access
12
11
|
| 2012 |
Open access
29
21
|
| 2010 |
Open access
98
79
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2012 |
Open access
1
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
Industry reports
2023: Wiedemann, M., Vij, A., Banerjee, R., O’Connor, A., Soetanto, D., Ardeshiri, A., Anilan V., Wittwer, G., Sheard, N., 2023. Validating the benefits of increased drone uptake for Australia: Geographic, demographic and social insights, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) and the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).
2022: Krishnamurti, C., Pacecca, G., Banerjee, R., Gupta, K. and McIver, R. 2022. The impact of cost and access to financial advice for lower socio-economic consumer groups. ISBN 978-1-922046-42-0.
Research
Research Grants Highlights:
2025-26: Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS), NDIS service evaluation project (joint with Prof Saravana Kumar, Prof Marion Eckert, Assoc Prof Micah Peters, Mr Greg Sharplin, Ms Kim Neylon, Ms Georgia Gosse, and Ms Esther Tian). Total Project value: $90,000.
2025: Grant funded by the Hospital Research Foundation Group (THRFG) on evaluating the Parkinson’s Nurse Specialists Service in South Australia (joint with Prof Marion Eckert and team members from UniSA Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre, Prof. Saravana Kumar from UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance, and Dr Suzanne Sharrad from UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences). Total Project value: $235,731.
2024: Grant funded by the ANZ Bank (joint with Dr Braam Lowies and Prof Kurt Lushington). Project title: Vulnerability to financial scams and the effectiveness of the MoneyMinded scams workshops in improving individual ability to identify financial scams. Project value: $15,000.
2024-25: Grant funded by the Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG) programme, a consortium led by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), the University of Oxford, the University of Notre Dame, the African Center for Economic Transformation, the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale, and the Groningen Growth and Development Centre (joint with Dr Dessie Ambaw). Project title: "Does the Presence of Foreign Firms Influence the Energy Consumption Behavior of Local Firms? Evidence from Ethiopia." Project value: AUD $36,500 (approx.) (£19,257).
2022-23: Grant funded by the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC), CRCiMove research Grant (joint with M. Wildermann, A. Vij, A. O'Connor, D. Soetanto, A. Ardeshiri, and V. Anilan). Project title: “Validating the benefits of increased drone uptake for Australia: Geographic, demographic and social insights”. Project value: $200,000.
2020-2023: Grant funded by the Ecstra Foundation Ltd. (joint with B. Lowies and K. Lushington). Project title: “The Psychological Well-being and Financial Decision-making of Older Australians in Times of Uncertainty.” Project value: $195,000.
2020-22: Grant funded by the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) Australia, Magellan Investments, and Centrepoint Alliance (joint industry partners) (joint with C. Krishnamurti, G. Pacceca, R. McIver, and K. Gupta). Project title: “Financial Planners’ Cost of Advice and Impacts on the Cost of Provision and Lower Socio-economic Consumer Groups’ Access to Advice.” Project value: $30,000.
2018-20: Grant funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) (joint with L. Crase, B. Cooper, J. Connor, and K. Gupta). Project title: "Institutions to support intensification, integrated decision making and inclusiveness in agriculture in the East Gangetic Plain" (Category 1 Research Grant). Project value: $1.3 million.
2018-19: Grant funded by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) (joint with T. Cavoli, R. Donato, and I. Onur). Amount: USD $125,000 (AUD $167,000). Project title: "Understanding the Economic Effects of Financial Inclusion in ASEAN and East Asia" (Category 3 Research Grant). Project value: $500,000.
2017-19: Grant funded by the Australian Centre for Financial Studies (ACFS) (joint with R. McIver, T. Cavoli, and J. Wilson). Project title: “Stock market returns and Macroeconomic activity: Australia over the long run”. Project value: $10,000.
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Essential Services Commission of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| International Livestock Research Institute | KENYA |
| Jadavpur University | INDIA |
| Meat and Livestock Australia Limited | AUSTRALIA |
| Monash University | AUSTRALIA |
| Murdoch University | AUSTRALIA |
| The World Bank | ETHIOPIA |
| University of Groningen | NETHERLANDS |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Western Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| World Bank Group | UNITED STATES |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Journal Editorial Board MemberEconomic Analysis and Policy Journal |
2025 |
Journal Editorial Board MemberEconomic Analysis and Policy Journal |
2024 |
External Advisory Panel MemberSalford College, Australia |
2021 |
Affiliated MemberCentre for Development Economics and Sustainability |
2019 |
Governor's Leadership Foundation FellowshipLeader's Institute of South Australia |
2018 |
MemberAmerican Economic Association |
2018 |
Member, Leader's Institute Flagship programGovernor's Leadership Foundation Program |
2018 |
MemberCenter for Economic History |
2016 |
MemberEconomic Society of Australia |
2016 |
Treasurer and Executive MemberEconomic History Society of Australia and New Zealand |
2016 |
MemberEconomic Society of Australia |
2015 |
MemberCenter for Economic History |
2015 |
Treasurer and Executive MemberEconomic History Society of Australia and New Zealand |
2015 |
MemberEconomic Society of Australia |
2014 |
MemberCenter for Economic History |
2014 |
Treasurer and Executive MemberEconomic History Society of Australia and New Zealand |
2014 |
MemberEconomic Society of Australia |
2013 |
Treasurer and Executive MemberEconomic History Society of Australia and New Zealand |
2013 |
MemberEconomic Society of Australia |
2012 |
MemberEconomic Society of Australia |
2011 |
Recent awards - highlights:
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| 110259 - The economics of crime, corruption and discrimination | Current |
| Financial inclusion, social capital and economic development | Current |
| Industrial policy within the framework of innovation, global value chains, and industrial upgrading | Current |
| Regulation Changes and Information Disclosure | Current |
| The Trade Finance Gap: Causes, Consequences and Implications for Economic Development | Current |
| Unveiling vulnerability: A comprehensive study on financial scam predictors and prevention strategies | Current |
| Dimming the light: the role of information dissemination in market transparency and quality | Completed |
| Lending-based crowdfunding: interest premium under COVID-19 uncertainty | Completed |
| Sectoral foreign aid, institutional quality and economic development | Completed |
| The impact of renewable energy on the Australian National Electricity Market | Completed |
| The role of international capital flows in emerging market economies: trends, causes and consequences | Completed |
| Three essays in health and labour economics | Completed |
| Three essays on market microstructure issues | Completed |
| Towards optimising innovation and entrepreneurship outcomes in knowledge-intensive precincts: a comparative study of Australian and Korean contexts | Completed |
