Kasim Saiyyad

Publications

My research spans social protection, labor economics, and nutrition in India. Below are my published and forthcoming academic papers, working papers, and my first book. For policy articles and media writing, see the Extension tab.

Job Market Paper

  • Saiyyad, K. N. “Intra-household Impacts of Gendered Cash Transfers: Evidence on Labor, Nutrition, and Financial Outcomes in Rural India.”

This paper uses primary panel data from 800 rural households to evaluate how gendered cash transfers affect women’s labor supply, dietary diversity, and financial autonomy, with attention to intra-household dynamics and the interaction between cash transfers and public workfare programs.

Published

  • Saiyyad, K. N. (2026). “Cash Transfers and Employment Guarantees: Substitutes, Complements, or Both?” Oxford Handbook of Guaranteed Minimum Income Policies, Oxford University Press (accepted).

This chapter examines the relationship between India’s cash transfer schemes and the MGNREGA employment guarantee, asking whether these programs function as substitutes or complements for rural households. It draws on both theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence to assess how multiple safety net programs interact in practice.

  • Saiyyad, K. N. (2017). “Leveraging Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship for Targeting Malnutrition.” Sight and Life, vol. 31(2).

Drawing on field experience from the SFurtI flour fortification program in tribal Gujarat, this article explores how women’s Self-Help Groups can serve as delivery channels for nutrition interventions while simultaneously building women’s economic agency and community leadership.

Working Papers

  • Saiyyad, K. N. (2026). “Do Gendered Cash Transfers Crowd Out Women’s Public Workfare Participation? Evidence from Rural India.” (Working paper)

Investigates whether the introduction of gendered cash transfers reduces women’s participation in MGNREGA workfare, using household panel data and administrative records from India’s MGNREGS portal.

  • Saiyyad, K. N. (2026). “Effect of Gendered Cash Transfers on Labor Participation, Dietary Diversity, and Financial Outcomes of Women in Rural India.” (Working paper)

Estimates the causal impact of gendered cash transfers on three dimensions of women’s welfare: labor force participation, household dietary diversity, and control over financial resources.

Books

  • Saiyyad, K. N. (2026). Gigged: Lives on the Edge of the Platform. Pan Macmillan India (under contract)

Based on two months of immersive fieldwork as a delivery rider and over 50 in-depth interviews with gig workers across different platforms and Indian cities, this book documents the lived realities of platform work, including earnings precarity, algorithmic control, and the factors that draw workers into the gig economy.