Varnitha Kurli
- PUBLIC POLICY METHODOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Varnitha is presently working towards a PhD in Environmental Studies. Prior to her PhD., Varnitha was a Water Data Specialist in the World Bank’s Water Global Practice. Varnitha joined the Bank in July 2018 and she continues to provide analytical and advisory support and be a part of Country Climate and Development Reports. She also provided research assistance and completed survey and field work at the Indian School of Business, Council for Social Development, and AMR-Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development. Varnitha's experiences have led her to conduct field work in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Myanmar.
At Mortenson Center, Varnitha works with Prof. Zia Mehrabi on climate driven internal displacement. She is particularly interested in how climate change drives population dynamics, predicting climate-driven internal displacement hotspots using novel datasets, and natural resource management, and data-driven solutions to development problems.
Outside of work, Varnitha enjoys painting (medium-acrylic and watercolor), cooking, hiking, running, and photography.
Education
- B.A (Hons) Economics and Mathematics, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2015
- M.S. Logic, Computation, and Methodology, Carnegie Mellon University, 2017
- P.G Diploma International Humanitarian Law, National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, India
Publications
Reports
- World Bank; European Union; United Nations. Gaza and West Bank: Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2025. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/fc353ff0-fb47-4ac3-94c6-06aef0481075
- World Bank Group. Western Balkans 6 — Country Climate Development Report. Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2024. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/ab6bfceb-9501-4587-a67a-b783dfa1ca6b
- World Bank Group. Myanmar — Food Security and Agriculture Monitoring Brief. Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2022. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099459407082213027/pdf/IDU09b2f3a9b08afd048970aebd0f24c727e0d65.pdf
- World Bank. An Invisible Water Crisis? New Data Application Maps Hotspots of Global Water Quality and Their Evolution between 1992–2010. World Bank Blogs. Accessed 2021. https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/invisible-water-crisis-new-data-application-maps-hotspots-global-water-quality-and-their
- Fafchamps, M.; Shilpi, F. The Evolution of Built-Up Areas in Ghana since 1975. Policy Research Working Paper No. 9314; World Bank: Washington, DC, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-9314
Academic Papers
- Fischer, H. W.; Schultz, B.; Coleman, E. A.; Filippi, A. M.; Guleria, V.; Güneralp, B.; Kurli, V.; et al. Forest Restoration for Environment and Well-Being Is Associated with Empowered Local Governance over Long Time Horizons. Environ. Res. Lett.2025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad9e44
- Kaur, K. P.; Kurli, V.; Andersson, K. The Challenge of Governing Complex Forest Ecosystems: Can a Polycentric Approach Help? In Handbook on Institutions and Complexity; Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK, 2025; pp 349–373. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923282.00027
- Demaree, K.; Kurli, V.; Magnuszewski, P.; Andersson, K.; Thomas, E. Development and Evaluation of a Digital Behavioral Economics Game towards Improved Understanding of Groundwater Conservation in Southern Colorado. PLOS Water2024, 3 (12), e0000298. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000298
- Menken, J.; Kurli, V.; Khan, M. N.; Williams, J. Changing Expression of Gender Preference: The Case of Bangladesh. Population Association of America (PAA) 2024 Conference Presentation, 2024.
- Kurli, V. To Be (e) or Not To Be (e): Understanding the Economics of Voluntarism. Mass. Undergrad. J. Econ.2016, 55.
Manuscripts
- Agrawal, A.; Chhatre, A.; Gerber, E.; Kurli, V. Behavioral and Motivational Crowding Undermine Sustainable Development Programs. Under review at Science, 2025.
- Kurli, V.; Menken, J. Two-Child Policy in India: Challenges for Incentive Tools in the Face of Conflicting Motives. Preparing for submission to World Development, 2025.
- Menken, J.; Kurli, V.; Khan, M. N.; Williams, J. Changing Expression of Gender Preference: The Case of Bangladesh. Preparing for submission to Demography, 2024.