I teach South Asia and Global History at the LSE, and am the author of Monsoon Economies: India’s History in a Changing Climate, besides other books and articles. My work on economic history tries to answer three questions. Is there a long-term pattern in Indian capitalism? Does history help us understand how capitalism in India works today? How do climatic conditions shape economic change in the long run?

My recent publications include Law and the Economy in Colonial India (with Anand V. Swamy, University of Chicago Press, 2016). The book discusses the diverse influences that shaped British Indian law and shows why it delivered rather poor value to the users. A sequel, Law and the Economy in a Young Democracy (with Anand V. Swamy, University of Chicago Press, 2022) studies the historical roots of modern Indian laws and the persistence of a colonial legacy. Currently in press, Water and Development: The Troubled Economic History of the Arid Tropics (Oxford University Press) explores the idea that the economic emergence of societies in arid and semi-arid tropical regions depended on their ability to extract and recycle water and, in turn, on manipulating the environment in certain ways. The process has been politically tense and has tested federal democracies.

Research interests

History and development of South Asia, global history, empires, environmental history

Teaching

EH307 The Economic History of South Asia, 1600-2000

EH404 India and the World Economy

EH421 Economic History of Colonialism, with Dr Leigh Gardner

View Professor Roy's CV here: Tirthankar Roy CV [PDF]