Vijaya Ramachandran
Vijaya Ramachandran is the Director for Energy and Development at the Breakthrough Institute. She writes about access to energy and energy finance in poor countries. She has three decades of experience in public policy and academia, serving on the faculty of Duke University and Georgetown University, as well as working at the World Bank, the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, and the Center for Global Development. Vijaya serves on the board of the Energy for Growth Hub and Precision Development and is a member of the expert advisory panel for The Earthshot Prize. Her work is published in Foreign Policy, Nature, and World Development, and is cited by over fifty media outlets including The Economist, The Financial Times, and The New York Times. Vijaya holds a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University.
Recent work
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NatureAnalysis
Jun 19, 2026 · with Ted Nordhaus
It's Time for the World Bank to Scrap Its Climate Finance Targets
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FoodAnalysis
Mar 30, 2026
Paul Ehrlich Was Wrong About India
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EnergyAnalysis
Dec 12, 2025 · with Seaver Wang, Ted Nordhaus
Greenwashing With Chinese Characteristics
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FoodReport
Nov 18, 2025 · with Dan Blaustein-Rejto, Ted Nordhaus
AIM for Scale
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EnergyAnalysis
Feb 10, 2025 · with Juzel Lloyd, Seaver Wang
Data Centers, Emerging Economies and the Need for Cheap, Firm Energy
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EnergyReport
Oct 31, 2024 · with Working Group on Climate Adaptation Finance
Adaptation Finance and The Multilateral Development Banks: From Concepts to Practice
Press and news
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Press · Oct 31, 2024
New Report Reveals Flawed Climate Finance Allocation in Low-Income, Low-Emission Countries
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In the news · Jul 10, 2022
Europe’s Rush to Buy Africa’s Natural Gas Draws Cries of Hypocrisy
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In the news · Jul 5, 2022
Blanket Bans On Fossil Fuels Hurt Women and Lower-Income Countries
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In the news · Jun 21, 2022
Climate Protection Must Not Lead to Energy Apartheid