People

Professor Alita Nandi

Professor
Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER)
Professor Alita Nandi
  • Email

  • Telephone

    +44 (0) 1206 874699

  • Location

    2N2.6.08, Colchester Campus

  • Academic support hours

    Since 2007, I am teaching various Understanding Society data management courses throughout the year. For latest courses and how to enrol, see https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/training

Profile

Biography

I am a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER). I conduct empirical research primarily in the areas of ethnicity and gender, specifically investigating differences in subjective wellbeing (e.g., life satisfaction, mental health) as well as economic wellbeing (e.g., income, wages). My other research activities are (i) in the formation, measurement and impact of identity on life outcomes, (ii) causes and consequences of harassment and discrimination, (iii) in measurement of institutional characteristics in developing countries and exploring their effects. I am the Associate Director (Outreach) for Understanding Society and have contributed to its questionnaire design, particularly to the measurement of ethnic identity and identity across other dimensions and data management activities including partnership history datasets.

Qualifications

  • PhD (Economics) Ohio State University,

  • Masters (Economics) Ohio State University,

  • Masters (Economics) Jawaharlal Nehru University,

  • Bachelor of Science with Honours (Economics) University of Calcutta,

Appointments

University of Essex

  • RESEARCH FELLOW, ISER, University of Essex (1/10/2011 - 30/9/2019)

  • SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICER, ISER, University of Essex (3/7/2007 - 30/9/2011)

  • SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, ISER, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX (1/10/2019 - present)

Other academic

  • RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, CHRR, Ohio State University (3/1/2007 - 29/6/2007)

Research and professional activities

Conferences and presentations

Transitions from Full-time education to employment: the role of wellbeing

EALE 2018, EALE 2018, Lyon, France, 15/9/2018

Ethnic and racial harassment and mental health: Identifying sources of resilience

IMISCOE 2018, IMISCOE, Barcelona, Spain, 2/7/2018

Racial and ethnic harassment and its association with mental health and wellbeing for ethnic minorities in the UK

EALE 2017, EALE, St. Gallen, Switzerland, 23/9/2017

Racial and ethnic harassment and its association with mental health and wellbeing for ethnic minorities in the UK

ESA 2017, ESA, Athens, Greece, 30/8/2017

Employment to Unemployment Transitions and Wellbeing- unpacking gender differences

2017 Understanding Society Scientific Conference, Understanding Society Scientific Conference, Colchester, United Kingdom, 13/7/2017

Racial and ethnic harassment and its association with mental health and wellbeing for ethnic minorities in the UK

31st Annual Conference of the European Society of Population Economics, Annual Conference of the European Society of Population Economics, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 15/6/2017

Racial and ethnic harassment and its association with mental health and wellbeing for ethnic minorities in the UK

2017 PAA, Population Association of America, Chicago, United States, 27/4/2017

Ethnic identity in context: the influence of forms of contact on majority and minority social identities

Responding to Crises, UNI-WIDER: Responding to Crises, Helsinki, Finland, 23/9/2016

Racial and ethnic harassment and its association with mental health and wellbeing for ethnic minorities in the UK

30th Annual meeting of the British Society for Population Studies, 30th Annual meeting of the British Society for Population Studies, Winchester, United Kingdom, 13/9/2016

Understanding the role of contextual factors for the salience of ethnic identity

ISA RC28 Summer Meeting, ISA RC28 Summer Meeting, Bern, Switzerland, 29/8/2016

Working hours, work identity and subjective wellbeing

NIBS Conference, NIBS Conference, Norwich, United Kingdom, 4/4/2016

Life satisfaction, ethnicity and neighbourhoods: Is there an effect of neighbourhood ethnic composition on life satisfaction?

XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology, Yokohama, Japan, 15/7/2014

Life satisfaction, ethnicity and neighbourhoods: Is there an effect of neighbourhood ethnic composition on life satisfaction?

Invited presentation, Human Geography Seminar Series, Bristol, United Kingdom, 30/5/2013

Teaching and supervision

Previous supervision

Natasha May Crawford
Natasha May Crawford
Thesis title: The Social Determinants of Health: An Empirical Analysis of Ethnic and Spatial Inequalities in Health
Degree subject: Applied Social and Economic Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 22/11/2017
Greta Morando
Greta Morando
Thesis title: 'Essays on the Economics of Education and Labour'
Degree subject: Economics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 5/7/2017
Dorothee Schneider
Dorothee Schneider
Thesis title: Sample Attrition and Physical Health of Immigrants in the UK
Degree subject: Applied Social and Economic Research
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 11/1/2017

Publications

Journal articles (20)

Tregaskis, O. and Nandi, A., (2023). Training and life satisfaction: a disrupted pathway to better work. Transfer: European review of labour and research. 29 (3), 387-404

Longhi, S., Nandi, A., Bryan, M., Connolly, S. and Gedikli, C., (2023). Life satisfaction and unemployment—The role of gender attitudes and work identity. Scottish Journal of Political Economy. 71 (2), 219-236

Longhi, S., Nandi, A., Bryan, M., Connolly, S. and Gedikli, C., (2023). Do all job changes increase wellbeing?. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 1-17

Aksoy, O., Bann, D., Fluharty, ME. and Nandi, A., (2022). Religiosity and mental wellbeing among members of majority and minority religions: findings from Understanding Society, The UK Household Longitudinal Study. American Journal of Epidemiology. 191 (1), 20-30

Kapilashrami, A., Otis, M., Omodara, D., Nandi, A., Vats, A., Adeniyi, O., Speed, E., Potter, JL., Eder, B., Pareek, M. and Bhui, K., (2022). Ethnic disparities in health & social care workers’ exposure, protection, and clinical management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Critical Public Health. 32 (1), 68-81

Gagné, T., Nandi, A. and Schoon, I., (2022). Time trend analysis of social inequalities in psychological distress among young adults before and during the pandemic: evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study COVID-19 waves.. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 76 (5), 421-427

Nandi, A. and Luthra, R., (2021). The EU Referendum and Experiences and Fear of Ethnic and Racial Harassment: Variation across individuals and communities in England. Frontiers in Sociology. 6, 660286-

Platt, L. and Nandi, A., (2020). Ethnic diversity in the UK: new opportunities and changing constraints. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 46 (5), 1-18

Luthra, RR., Nandi, A. and Benzeval, M., (2020). Unravelling the ‘immigrant health paradox’: ethnic maintenance, discrimination, and health behaviours of the foreign born and their children in England. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 46 (5), 980-1001

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2020). The relationship between political and ethnic identity among UK ethnic minority and majority populations. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 46 (5), 957-979

Nandi, A., Luthra, R. and Benzeval, M., (2020). When does hate hurt the most? Generational differences in the association between ethnic and racial harassment, ethnic attachment, and mental health. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 43 (16), 327-347

Platt, L., Knies, G., Luthra, R., Nandi, A. and Benzeval, M., (2020). Understanding Society at 10 Years. European Sociological Review. 36 (6), 976-988

Lynn, P., Nandi, A., Parutis, V. and Platt, L., (2018). Design and implementation of a high quality probability sample of immigrants and ethnic minorities: lessons learnt. Demographic Research. 38 (21), 513-548

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2017). Are there differences in responses to social identity questions in face-to-face versus telephone interviews? Results of an experiment on a longitudinal survey. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 20 (2), 151-166

Knies, G., Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2016). Life satisfaction, ethnicity and neighbourhoods: Is there an effect of neighbourhood ethnic composition on life satisfaction?. Social Science Research. 60, 110-124

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2015). Patterns of minority and majority identification in a multicultural society. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 38 (15), 2615-2634

Nandi, A. and Nicoletti, C., (2014). Explaining personality pay gaps in the UK. Applied Economics. 46 (26), 3131-3150

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2012). Developing ethnic identity questions for Understanding Society. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies. 3 (1), 80-100

Burton, J., Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2010). Measuring ethnicity: challenges and opportunities for survey research. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 33 (8), 1332-1349

Light, A. and Nandi, A., (2007). Identifying race and ethnicity in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Population Research and Policy Review. 26 (2), 125-144

Books (1)

Longhi, S. and Nandi, A., (2015). A Practical Guide to Using Panel Data. Sage. 9781446210864

Book chapters (3)

Saggar, S. and Nandi, A., (2012). Employment and perceived racial discrimination. In: Understanding Society: findings 2012. Editors: McFall, SL., . ISER. 15- 16. 978 1 85871 163 8

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2012). How diverse is the UK?. In: Understanding Society: findings 2012. Editors: McFall, SL., . ISER. 13- 14. 978 1 85871 163 8

Khan, O. and Nandi, A., (2012). Understanding remittances in Understanding Society: quantifying ties overseas and ties to Britain. In: Understanding Society: findings 2012. Editors: McFall, SL., . ISER. 17- 18. 978 1 85871 163 8

Reports and Papers (21)

Bhattacharya, A., Kar, A. and Nandi, A., Local institutional structure and clientelistic access to employment: the case of MGNREGS in three states of India

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., A note on ethnicity and identity among the UK born population in Understanding Society

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., Developing ethnic identity questions for Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Burton, J., Nandi, A. and Platt, L., Who are the UK's minority ethnic groups? Issues of identification and measurement in a longitudinal study

Burton, J., Nandi, A. and Platt, L., Who are the UK's minority ethnic groups? Issues of identification and measurement in a longitudinal study

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., Britishness and identity assimilation among the UK’s minority and majority ethnic groups

Brewer, M. and Nandi, A., Partnership dissolution: how does it affect income, employment and well-being?

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., Britishness and identity assimilation among the UK's minority and majority ethnic groups

Bryan, ML. and Nandi, A., Working Hours, Work Identity and Subjective Wellbeing

Longhi, S., Nandi, A., Bryan, M., Connolly, S. and Gedikli, C., Unhappiness in unemployment – is it the same for everyone?

Longhi, S., Nandi, A., Bryan, M., Connolly, S. and Gedikli, C., (2018). Education to Employment: The role of wellbeing

Nandi, A., Luthra, RR. and Benzeval, M., (2016). Ethnic and racial harassment and mental health: Identifying sources of resilience

Bryan, ML. and Nandi, A., (2015). Working hours, work identity and subjective wellbeing

Knies, G., Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2014). Life satisfaction, ethnicity and neighbourhoods: is there an effect of neighbourhood ethnic composition on life satisfaction?

Knies, G., Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2014). Life satisfaction, ethnicity and neighbourhoods: is there an effect of neighbourhood ethnic composition on life satisfaction?

Lynn, P., Burton, J., Kaminska, O., Knies, G. and Nandi, A., (2012). An initial look at non-response and attrition in Understanding Society

Nandi, A. and Platt, L., (2011). Effect of interview modes on measurement of identity

Nandi, A. and Nicoletti, C., (2009). Explaining personality pay gaps in the UK

Burton, J., Laurie, H., Uhrig, SCN., Bryan, ML., Desousa, C., Fumagalli, L., Jackle, A., Knies, G., Lynn, P., Nandi, A., Platt, L., Pudney, S., Rabe, B., Sacker, A., Sala, E., Taylor, MP., Wolke, D., Bottazzi, R., Crossley, T. and O'Dea, C., (2008). Understanding Society. Some preliminary results from the Wave 1 Innovation Panel

Nandi, A., (2008). Women's economic gains from employment, marriage and cohabitation

Light, A. and Nandi, A., (2004). Identifying Race and Ethnicity in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Grants and funding

2023

Invitation to Tender: Project Insight

London Metropolitan Police - Covert Policing Command

Invitation to Tender: Project Insight

London Metropolitan Police - Covert Policing Command

Understanding Society Waves 17-22

Economic and Social Research Council

Understanding Society Waves 17-22

Economic and Social Research Council

2021

First generation migrants as freelance creative workers: creating a transnational local network, and improving the social and economic situation of creative labour in the South-East

University of Essex (ESRC IAA)

2020

Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Survey Waves 13-15

Economic and Social Research Council

2018

Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study Wave 12

Economic and Social Research Council

2016

The Prevalence and Persistence of Ethnic and Racial Harassment and its Impact on Health: A Longitudinal Analysis

Economic & Social Research Council

Work, Learning and Wellbeing

Economic & Social Research Council

Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study: Waves 9-11

Economic & Social Research Council

2013

Poverty across ethnic groups through recession and austerity

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Contact

anandi@essex.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1206 874699

Location:

2N2.6.08, Colchester Campus

Academic support hours:

Since 2007, I am teaching various Understanding Society data management courses throughout the year. For latest courses and how to enrol, see https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/training