Ritika Goel

I am a PHD candidate in Comparative Political Economy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Visiting Scholar for 2024-25 at Center for Economy and Society, SNF Agora Institute, John Hopkins University 2024-25. My research interests are social and economic inequality, status, right-wing politics and democratic backsliding. My research focuses on how social and economic inequality interact with each other, and how this might lead to sub-optimal institutional, policy and political outcomes in democracies.  I am on the job market in 2024-25, please check out my website for interest!  

Before coming to Berkeley, I worked in International Development in South Asia including with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group and with the UK Department for International Development (DFID). I have a Masters in Economics and Public Policy from Princeton University, and a Bachelors in Engineering from NSIT, Delhi University.   

At Berkeley's Political Science Department, I am a member of the Department's Diversity and Inclusion Committee, as well as a representative for Women in Political Science (WIPS) for the academic year 2020-21.  I have been a graduate student instructor for undergraduate departmental courses on quantitative research methods and comparative politics. I am also an Associate at the Center on the Politics of Development at Berkeley.