WASHINGTON: Arvind Subramanian, appointed as India's Chief Economic Adviser, is more than just a mainstream macro-economist and is a creative thinker, the head of a top American think tank on economic issues.

"Arvind is much more than your mainstream macro-economist. He is an immensely knowledgeable and creative thinker on trade, climate, tax, corruption and finance. He has an understanding of India -- its history, its economy, and its politics -- both from the top down and the bottom up," said Nancy Birdsall, President of the Center for Global Development (CGD) where Subramanian currently is a senior fellow.

Oxford-educated Subramanian, who was economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) like his predecessor Raghuram Rajan, is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad and St Stephen's College, Delhi. The post of CEA has been lying vacant since Rajan's elevation as RBI Governor more than a year ago.

Arvind Subramanian is a creative thinker: US think tank

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Oxford-educated Subramanian, who was economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) like his predecessor Raghuram Rajan, is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad and St Stephen's College, Delhi.

"I am honored and privileged to be able to contribute to the government that has a strong mandate to set India on a dynamic growth trajectory that can provide opportunities for all Indians," said Subramanian in a statement issued by the CGD.

Subramanian is a senior fellow at the CGD and at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. In this capacity, Subramanian directs the 'Understanding India Initiative'.

The initiative addresses how India should shape international thinking about development as well as how India should engage internationally. His current work at CGD is centered on the economics of climate change, trade, tax and intellectual property issues in the development context, the statement said.

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