1928 Chariton St. Unit 19 Los Angeles, CA 90034 somjitamitra@gmail.

com

Dr. Somjita Mitra

Curriculum Vitae
RESEARCH AND ANALYTIC EXPERIENCE
Recon Research Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Senior Economist

2008-Current

Performing complex data analysis for multi-million dollar trials. Providing expert economic analysis including for international companies, class action lawsuits and local companies. Identifying key economic issues and developing proper analytical frameworks. Comprehensive examination of economic damages and losses and benefits. Performing high-level quantitative and qualitative research. Evaluating economic reasonableness of settlements. Assisting the President and VicePresident in expert witness preparation. Preparing and evaluating trial exhibits. Writing direct testimony scripts and cross-examination questions. Constructing effective criticisms of opposing expert testimonies. Horizon Consumer Science, Los Angeles, CA
Project Director

2007-2008

Manage clients and projects. Analysis and implementation of quantitative and qualitative results. Oversee projects from conception to completion including for public relations firms, major international corporations and local Los Angeles-based firms. Horizon Research Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Research Assistant

2004-2007

Research and analysis of market conditions. Supervise interviewers during intercept studies. Report preparation for client presentations. Office and accounts management. 2003-2006 Assist Dr. Hilton Root, Freeman Fellow and Visiting Professor of Economics at Pitzer College and Senior Fellow at Milken Institute. Edit chapters of Dr. Roots book Alliance Curse: How America Lost the Third World. Prepare and submit articles for possible publication.
Graduate Research Assistant

Pitzer College, Claremont, CA

2002-2004 Assist the Institutional Research Officer with data input and analysis for the purpose of ongoing internal and external research reports. Prepare presentation for Student Exit Survey based on graduates. Develop comprehensive graduate survey report used by Board of Trustees and administration. Gather, review, compile and complete statistical operations on data collected from surveys.
Data Analyst
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Claremont Graduate University Institutional Research Office

Lowe Institute of Political Economy, Claremont McKenna College

Graduate Research Assistant

2003-2004 Research various issues involving international economics including analyzing the role of Argentina as a trade partner for the United States and other South American countries. Explore the impact of the current political economy situation. Research involved the exploration of production sharing between the United States and various Latin American countries in textiles and aircraft manufacturing. Explore issues involving the North American Free Trade Agreement through extensive empirical analysis. Wrote the preliminary report on trade fragmentation and analyzed production sharing between the US and Latin America. U.S. Department of Commerce, Inland Empire Export Assistance Center 2001

International Trade Associate

Identify and analyze top countries and markets for U.S. products through extensive market research. Assess the market potential for small to medium-sized businesses. Obtain working knowledge of export financing and export-related issues. Assist international trade specialists in consultations. Coordinate trade events and shows in the Inland Empire region. Develop export strategies for U.S. firms.

EDUCATION Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA

Economics Dissertation Title: Ph.D. May 2007 M.A., May 2002 B.A., June 2000

Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA

Politics, Economics, and Business Economics and Political Science Concentration: International Relations

The Macro Impact of Microcredit

University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA

HONORS
2003 2001 20002003 19962000 19962000

Katie Lincoln Fellowship based on academic criteria and merit with the consideration of personal achievement and congeniality. Pacific Bell Fellowship awarded to the most promising student in the Politics, Economics and Business program. School of Politics and Economics Fellowship awarded based on college academics and potential contribution to the university. Regents Scholar at University of California, Los Angeles National Merit Finalist Scholar

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COMMUNITY SERVICE
2004-current Founding chair and board member. Focus on providing mentoring relationships between faculty and graduate students. Past events include student hosted conferences and meet-and-greet events, job talks and dissertation support groups. The 2007 conference was entitled: Professor or Bust: The Rise of Women with Advanced Economics Degrees in the Non-Academic World held on April 20, 2007. Speakers included: analyst from Eurasia Group, vice-president of Analysis Group, a forensic economist and founder of her own firm, a public policy expert from Rand Institute, and a former research fellow at Milken Institute. Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA

Claremont Womens Economics and Political Economy Society (CWEST)

Student Executive Committee

2001-2002 Serve as liaison between staff, faculty and students. Organize Soup Night to introduce students and provide informal interaction with faculty. Coordinate School of Politics and Economics Conference, a student-sponsored event to provide support and feedback to students preparing for major conferences. Pomona Inland Valley Micro Enterprise Loan Fund 2002 Provide data analysis on various clients. Explore the impact of micro-enterprise loans on very lowincome individuals. Coordinate with donors for financial approval of clients proposals. Prepare preliminary business development activities and assistance with business plans

Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA

Coordinator

CONFERENCES
Claremont Graduate University
Presenter Career Connections, Women and Power February 8, 2008

Professor or Bust: The Rise of Women with Advanced Economics Degrees in the Non Academic World April 20, 2007

Claremont Graduate University

Organizer

8th Annual Minority Mentor Conference

Claremont Graduate University

Presenter Discussant

March 2, 2007

Women in Economics & Political Economy: Career Paths & Research Agendas February 24, 2006

Claremont Graduate University

Organizer

7th Annual MicroEnterprise Conference Attendee

Brigham Young University, Marriott School

Somjita Mitra

March 11-13, 2004

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MEMBERSHIPS
Claremont Womens Economics Society Today, CWEST. Founding Chair Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION SOFTWARE SKILLS

Professional Development Practicum, Preparing Future Faculty Program, Claremont Graduate University EXCEL, EVIEWS, SPLUS, SPSS, SAS

2003-2004

DISSERTATION ABSTRACT: The Macro Impact of Microcredit

Economists and policy analysts have long sought to determine the cause and thereby the cure for poverty in under-developed regions of the world. One solution is the concept of microcredit. It is a program that gives small loans to extremely poor people for income-generating activities allowing them to become self-reliant. Microcredit was institutionalized by Mohammad Yunus with the creation of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1976. For his efforts, he received the Nobel Peace Prize on October 13, 2006. Almost 76 million people have received credit from 2500 institutions in over 101 countries. Despite the attention, the actual impact on development and poverty alleviation has not been measured. Existing literature has focused on the amount of loans disbursed, the rate of repayment and the number of recipients. Empirical analysis and case studies have indicated that microcredit directly benefits the individual recipient and their household. The importance of institutions, the village community, and the informal economic sector has not been taken into consideration. Microcredit recipients tend to work in the informal economy, limiting their own economic development and hampering tax collection for the provision of public goods. There has been no analysis of the impact of microcredit loans on the economy on the whole. This dissertation focuses on filling this gap and evaluating the macroeconomic impact of microcredit. Field research was conducted in West Bengal India to determine the effect of microcredit on recipients and also in comparison with non-recipients in their villages. The objective of the empirical analysis is to test if microcredit recipients has any significant positive impact on aggregate macro-level variables in the village. The results of this dissertation provide policy implications for analysts as well as microcredit providers and improve our understanding of microcredit as a poverty-alleviation tool.

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