From India to Princeton: An MPA’s Journey

Prior to attending Princeton, Chhabra worked as a country economist for the International Growth Centre’s (IGC) India-Bihar Programme, identifying areas for research that could aid effective policy making. She helped build the program’s identity, covering everything from creating a foothold for IGC in the bureaucracy to expanding the research portfolio to managing the office.

 

“People always ask me why I moved from Delhi to Patna, because typically the move is in the other direction,” she says. Before the mid-2000s, Bihar was viewed as a failing state with all socio-economic indicators below the national average and limited economic opportunities.” 

 

“As a result, many people migrated from Bihar to other cities. Since the new government came in, there have been economic, developmental and legal improvements in Bihar and Patna, but it’s far from perfect.”

 

Chhabra began her career interested in economics and finance. After graduating with honors from the University of Delhi with a bachelor’s degree in economics, she went directly to the London School of Economics, where she earned her master’s in finance and economics a year later. 

 

“It was a great time to study finance because the world’s financial state was changing, but it was a bad time to be on the market for a job,” she says. “One week into my LSE classes, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.” 

 

After returning home to India after graduation, Chhabra realized that, even though her specialization was in finance, she didn’t want to work in an investment bank or hedge fund. “I found it to be somewhat of a monotonous field and I couldn’t dedicate my life to it,” she says.  

 

Following a seven-month stint working on an infrastructure project at the National Council of Applied Economic Research in Delhi, Chhabra went on to work with the Planning Commission of India, the apex-level, policy formulation arm of the government. She says her experience gave her great insights into how bureaucracy functions.

 

With an understanding of government operations in place, Chhabra moved on to the IGC. As part of a small team, she had an opportunity to learn about managing an organization. She says her experience convinced her to pursue her Master’s in Public Affairs (MPA).

 

Chhabra says her time at the Wilson School has been productive. “The people have a tremendous impact on me. My interaction with other students, including learning about their experiences and what they’ve done, is very important.”

 

Though graduation is more than a year away, Chhabra is already thinking about what’s next in her life. She says she’s probably going to return to India but is thinking about diversifying her experience and working in Africa. “Bihar was an ineffective state before the government changed, and I think I could draw parallels to Africa,” she says. 

 

“But right now, I want to gain theoretical knowledge and backing to my policy experience. It’s good to have an overarching perspective of theory so I can better understand the policy planning and implementation process wherever I may end up.”