At a time when Manipur’s public discourse is dominated by political instability, ethnic conflict and security concerns, economist and former Manipur University Vice-Chancellor (In-Charge) Prof. Amar Yumnam continues to draw attention to a fundamental question: why has Manipur struggled to translate its resources, opportunities and potential into meaningful development?
Through decades of academic work, research supervision and public writing, Prof. Yumnam has consistently argued that Manipur’s predicament is not merely a consequence of inadequate financial resources or political attention. It is also a reflection of failures in institutional thinking, development planning, governance and leadership. This perspective deserves serious consideration from a government entrusted with the responsibility of shaping Manipur’s future.
Prof. Yumnam joined Manipur University in 1987 after completing his PhD in Economics from the University of Bombay in 1986. Specialising in Development Economics and Institutional Economics, he served the university for more than three decades, including as Vice-Chancellor (In-Charge), before retiring in 2022. He subsequently joined the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, as Visiting Professor.
His academic contributions extend beyond conventional economic research. His edited volume, North East India: Selected Regional Issues (2011), and his contribution to The North East India: A Reader (2018) reflect his sustained engagement with the region’s development challenges. His 2018 memorial lecture, Manipur and Development: Political Economy of Collusion, and the earlier CESS working paper, From Political to Economic Agenda: A Sustainable Development Future for Manipur (2006), underline his long-standing concern that Manipur needs a fundamental shift in its development approach.
His research supervision has covered Centre-State financial relations, public debt management, natural resources and the socio-economic dimensions of conflict. These are not peripheral academic subjects. They concern the very foundations upon which Manipur’s economic recovery and institutional reconstruction must rest.
What makes his contribution particularly relevant is his continued engagement with public affairs. Through regular columns in Imphal Times, Prof. AmarYumnam has taken academic arguments beyond university classrooms and research publications. His writings have examined university governance, constitutional responsibilities, public finance, education, South East Asian geopolitics and the deeper consequences of Manipur’s prolonged crisis.
His November 9, 2026 column, Global Inter-University Collaboration: Emerging Popularism in Manipur, questioned the understanding of international academic collaboration reflected in claims made by a state university. His other writings, including Violence Beyond the Physical: Multifaceted Manipur Tragedy, Thinking, Leadership and Society: Manipur’s Missing Factors and South East Asian Part of India: Who Cares, demonstrate his effort to connect Manipur’s immediate concerns with wider institutional and global developments.
There are also indications of wider academic interest in his work. A citation-tracking display circulated in connection with his academic writings lists names including Elena Kwalski, Rafael Almeida and Anne Miller, alongside institutional figures attributed to Stanford University (184), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (147) and Oxford University (115). These figures have not been independently verified as Prof. Yumnam’s citation statistics and should not be treated as an established measure of his academic impact. Nevertheless, the larger question of how Manipur’s intellectual contributions are recognised and connected to wider academic networks deserves attention.
The message to the government is straightforward: do not overlook Manipur’s intellectuals in the process of rebuilding the state.
Reconstruction cannot be confined to infrastructure, financial assistance, administrative reshuffling or political negotiations. It must also involve a serious reassessment of economic priorities, institutional accountability, education, employment, social reconciliation and the state’s position in the emerging South East Asian regional order.
The government should create a meaningful, non-partisan platform where experienced academics, economists, researchers and independent thinkers can contribute to policy formulation and long-term development planning. Such engagement must go beyond ceremonial invitations and occasional consultations. Their knowledge and critical perspectives should inform actual decisions.
The government need not agree with every criticism or proposition advanced by intellectuals. But it must have the confidence to listen, debate and benefit from informed dissent. A government that shuts out critical thinking deprives itself of an important instrument of good governance.
Prof. Amar Yumnam’s academic journey and public engagement illustrate the intellectual resources Manipur already possesses. His contribution should not be measured merely by positions held or honours received, but by the questions he continues to raise about the state’s development and future.
Manipur has lost valuable years to conflict, mistrust and institutional uncertainty. It cannot afford to lose more by sidelining those capable of helping it think differently.
A state can be rebuilt with money and machinery, but its future must be shaped by ideas, knowledge and intellectual courage. The government must not miss out on the minds that can help shape a new Manipur.
