In a career spanning over two and half decades teaching political science, governance, development and public policy, Professor Ashwani Kumar has had the privilege of engaging with students, academicians, diplomats, parliamentarians, development professionals, multilateral agencies and governments across countries and at various levels helping build rich learning and scholarship. 

He is presently Professor of Development Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. He has authored ‘Community Warriors: State, Peasants and Caste Armies in Bihar’ (Anthem Press, London). With Mary Kaldor and others at London School of Economics (LSE) and Dirk Messner, Director of German Development Institute, he led
a global network of eminent researchers and practitioners in areas of governance and development and co-edited the prestigious LSE Year Book on ‘Global Civil Society; Poverty and Activism’ and a book titled ‘Power Shifts and Global Governance’. 

His other international projects as project-director include, among others, ICSSR-ESRC (UK)’s partnership program for capacity building for doctoral scholars between TISS &  University of Sussex and project on Political Roots of Economic Development for International Growth Centre at LSE. 

As member of Central Employment Guarantee Council (GoI), he headed the central government’s task force for capacity building reforms in MGNREGA and gained crucial experience in coordinating with multiple stakeholders in federal governance. As Executive Committee member of CAPART, among other things, he also helped conceptualised and implement the Prime Minister Rural Development Fellows (PMRDF) program. 

He is also involved in the academic restructuring of NIRD and of flagship programs in Manipur, Rural Entrepreneurship Program of Ministry of Telecommunications and Post. Currently, he is also project director of ‘Inclusive Elections and Domestic Migration’ for Election Commission of India.