Former Secretary to the Government of India (Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister's Office) and former Special Envoy for SDG Implementation to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, he is currently a Distinguished Professor at MDI and the first Indian elected for life as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), USA.
Prof. Prajapati Trivedi is a globally recognized economist and public administration expert whose career spans academia, international development, and the highest levels of government. Born on August 9, 1953, he has spent over four decades shaping how governments measure and manage their performance.
Educated at St. Stephen's College (Delhi), the London School of Economics (M.Sc., 1972), and Boston University (Ph.D., 1985), Prof. Trivedi began his academic career as a lecturer at St. Stephen's College in 1974 before rising to become the youngest Chaired Tenured Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1986.
His professional journey — from IIM Calcutta to the World Bank, the Government of India's Cabinet Secretariat, and the Commonwealth Secretariat in London — reflects a rare blend of academic rigor and real-world impact across more than 50 countries.
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St. Stephen's College · London School of Economics · Boston University (Ph.D. in Economics)
Direct professional governance advisory and consulting experience spanning 50 nations
Secretary to Government of India (Performance Management) (2009-2014)
Economic Adviser to Government of India (1990-1994)
14 years of service as a Senior Economist in Washington, DC
From the classrooms of St. Stephen's College to the corridors of global power, Prof. Trivedi's career is a masterclass in bridging theory and practice.
Began his academic career at one of India's most prestigious colleges,St. Stephen’s College teaching economics and laying the intellectual foundations for his future work in St. Stephen’s College,.
Advised international governments and institutions on macro and microeconomic development policies at BIDE, and co-directed the International Workshop on Performance Contracts with Prof. Leroy P. Jones from 1980 onwards.
Taught courses on Public Enterprise Pricing Policies and Public Enterprise Performance Management at the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID), Harvard University. Also taught Applied Microeconomics for Policy Makers from 1983 onwards to Mid-Career MPA students, including Mason Fellows, at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Completed doctoral studies in economics, deepening his expertise in microeconomics, public policy analysis, and institutional performance evaluation.
Became the youngest Chaired Tenured Professor at IIM Calcutta, directing the Centre for Public Enterprise Management and pioneering research on public sector reform.
Advised the Government of India on economic policy during a highly pivotal era of economic liberalization, structural adjustments, and strategic policy reforms.
Spent 14 years at the World Bank in Washington, DC, advising on governance, public enterprise privatization, and administrative performance management across developing economies worldwide.
Served in the Prime Minister's Office (Cabinet Secretariat) and designed the globally recognized whole-of-government performance evaluation system.
This authority under the Prime Minister's Office ensures the effective implementation of India's obligations against the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) signed by India.
Served as Commonwealth Special Envoy for SDG Implementation till 2025. Currently serves as a Distinguished Professor at Management Development Institute (MDI), Visiting Distinguished Professor at Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), Visiting Faculty at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and an Internal Visiting Fellow at the IBM Center for the Business of Government.
Decades of experience at the intersection of applied economics, global governance, and institutional reform.
Designing and implementing whole-of-government performance monitoring systems. Created India's Results-Framework Document (RFD) system used across all central government departments.
Global expert in privatization transactions and public enterprise management, with practical analytical frameworks adopted by major governments and international institutions.
As Commonwealth Special Envoy for SDG Implementation, bridges the gap between high-level SDG vision and actionable national government programs across 56 member nations.
Deep expertise in applying microeconomic principles to public policy analysis, with over 45 years of teaching at Harvard Kennedy School and other leading academic institutions.
Successfully bridging academic theory with practical governance challenges, advising senior government officials on policy design, implementation, and assessment frameworks.
14 years at the World Bank and extensive work with the Commonwealth Secretariat across 50+ countries on governance reform, economic advisory, and institutional capacity building.
A comprehensive body of scholarly and practitioner-focused work spanning over three decades.
Commonwealth Secretariat, London
Latest Edition
IPE, World Bank & UNDP, New Delhi
2013
Rutledge Books, USA
2000
International Management Publisher, India
1992
International Management Publisher, India
1991
International Management Publisher, India
1990
The Commonwealth
Journal of Governance and Public Policy, Institute of Public Enterprise
2011
Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali
2015
The American Review of Public Administration
2020 · Citations: 16
Governance (Wiley)
2017 · Citations: 10
Indian Journal of Public Administration
1990
Second Biennial Pan-Commonwealth Meeting of Heads of Public Service / Cabinet Secretaries
2022
Indian Economic Journal, Vol. 34, No. 2
1986
Economic and Political Weekly
1985
Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 38, No. 46
2003
Economic and Political Weekly
1989
The Journal of Governance, Vol. 1, No. 1
2010
Economic and Political Weekly
1986
Economic and Political Weekly
1987
Economic and Political Weekly (with M P Vithal)
1992
Economic & Political Weekly, Vol LXI, No 33
2026
SSRN Electronic Journal / ISB Mohali
2016 · Citations: 2
Indian Journal of Public Administration
1986 · Citations: 1
Strategic Management and Accountability for Result Toolkit
A practitioner-grade digital tool for government performance assessment, built on three decades of field experience across 50+ nations.
The Strategic Management and Accountability for Result Toolkit (SMART) translates Prof. Trivedi's proprietary governance frameworks into an interactive diagnostic — enabling ministries, public enterprises, and development institutions to benchmark, monitor, and improve institutional performance in real time.
Request a demo, institutional licence, or implementation support for SMART.
Explore premium training series on Government Performance Management (hosted by the IBM Center for The Business of Government) and Applied Microeconomics for Policy Makers (used for teaching at Harvard University), translating advanced theoretical frameworks into practical, results-driven governance execution.
Introduction to the basic tools and practical frameworks of Government Performance Management.
Government Performance Management — transforming public policy into measurable results requires more than just theory; it demands a continuous exchange of real-world expertise. Public sector leaders, policy practitioners, and management experts are invited to join this collaborative space dedicated to advancing the art and science of institutional accountability, results-based management, and public sector efficacy.
A Community of Practice (CoP) is a peer-led network of professionals who share a common passion for a specific domain and interact regularly to learn how to do it better. Unlike traditional academic courses or top-down seminars, a CoP thrives on horizontal learning — a dynamic ecosystem where members share seasoned insights, troubleshoot systemic implementation challenges, debate evolving methodologies, and co-create practical toolkits that can be directly applied to governance.
The overarching mission of this community is to bridge the gap between performance management theory and its practical execution in government. Our core objectives include:
As a member of this curated group, you will receive our monthly knowledge digest, gain immediate access to our exclusive resource library of global best practices, and receive priority invitations to specialized evaluation workshops. We encourage an active, candid exchange of ideas — please feel free to share your current research, highlight systemic challenges you are navigating within your institution, or pose questions to the forum.
Membership is selective and curated to ensure high-level, substantive professional discourse.
Fill out the professional registration profile detailing your current institutional focus.
Our steering committee reviews submissions to ensure a balanced mix of practitioners, academics, and policymakers.
Receive your formal invitation, access to the digital workspace, and calendar invites to upcoming roundtables.
Complete the registration form below to request an invitation.
First Indian to receive this prestigious global award recognizing significant contributions to the theory and practice of public administration worldwide.
ASPA · 2017
First Indian elected as a Life Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, acknowledging outstanding lifetime leadership in governance and public sector reforms.
NAPA, Washington DC
Awarded for exceptional teaching, training, and institutional consultation in performance management that has shaped administrative policies globally.
CAP & ASPA · 2019Upcoming talks, conferences and public engagements — and a record of those already concluded.
A roundtable on results-based governance frameworks and their adoption across South Asian public institutions.
Discussions with senior officials on performance monitoring systems for public sector reform.
Concluded events are archived here as they pass. Check back after each engagement date.
A visual chronicle of academic engagements, conferences, and milestones.
Whether for academic collaboration, speaking engagements, advisory boards, or public sector performance consultations — I welcome the opportunity to engage.
