AK Shiva Kumar has over 35 years of experience in policy analysis, public management and evaluation. He has been a regular contributor to UNDP's Human Development Reports and has served as the Director of the International Centre for Human Development in New Delhi as well as Senior Adviser to the UNICEF India Country Office for over two decades. As a development economist, his research interests have focussed on poverty and human development, social policy including education, health and nutrition, and the impact of development policies on women and children. He is the co-editor of two books published by Oxford University Press: Handbook of Human Development and Handbook of Population and Development.
Dr Shiva Kumar has a MA in Economics and a post-graduate diploma from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He also holds a Master's in Public Administration and a PhD in political economy and government, both from Harvard University.