Prof. Radhakrishna did his post-graduation in Economics and Statistics from Andhra University, and Ph.D in Economics from Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Poona University). At present he is the Chairman, Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad;Chairman, Centre for Development Alternatives, Ahmadabad; and Chairman, Institute for Development Studies, Andhra Pradesh. He held several advisory positions: Chairman of Madras Institute of Development Studies and Member of Governing Council of ICSSR and Governing Councils of several national research institutes.

At present he is President of Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing and Chairman, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions. He was President elect of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (2019). He served on editorial boards of several peer reviewed academic journals including Journal of Quantitative Economics, Asia Pacific Journal of Rural Development, Journal of Asian Economics and IASSI quarterly.

Prof. Radhakrishna held several important positions–Chairman, Commission on Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Development of AP(2015-16); Chairman, National Statistical Commission, GoI (2009-12); Director/Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (2001- 07); Vice Chancellor, Andhra University (1998-2001); Member Secretary, ICSSR (1994-97); Director, CESS (1985-2004), Professor of Economics, University of Hyderabad (1980-85) Professor, Sardar Patel Institute of Social Economic Research (1973-80) and Visiting Fellow, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, U.K. (1976-77) He served as an expert in numerous international organizations-Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, 1997; Management of Social Transformation (MOST), UNESCO, 2004 and UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific, 2005. He was a Consultant to several international bodies including Internal Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Vienna,World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP, and FAO. Prof. Radhakrishna is an eminent development economist, well known academician and highly respected teacher. He successfully guided 25 doctoral students. He worked on several socially relevant areas, and made research contributions to Complete Demand Systems quantitative economics; and pioneering contributions to problems relating to poverty and well-being, agriculture and food security and rural development.

He published a large number of books and more than 100 original research papers in national and international journals and immensely contributed to policy making at state and national levels. His well cited publications include India’s Public Distribution System: A National and International Perspective (1998); Empowering Rural Labour (1998); India Development Report 2008 and Handbook of Poverty in India: Policy Perspective (2005).He was the Conference President of: Indian Economic Association (2016), Indian Econometric Society 2 (2008), Indian Society of Labour Economics (2002), Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing (1996), and Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils (1995).

In recognition of his significant academic contributions, he was awarded VKRV Rao Prize in Economics in 1985, and Telugu Atma Gaurava Puraskaram for his eminence in Social Sciences by Government of AndhraPradesh in 1998. He was Jawaharlal Nehru National Fellow (ICSSR) during 2009-11.

Prof. Radhakrishna has been involved in advising and assisting several policy making bodies. During his tenure as Chairman of National Statistical Commission (NSC), he and his colleagues finalized the National Policy on Official Statistics, Draft Bill on National Statistical Commission (NSC), Code of Statistical Practices, and formulated guidelines for outsourcing statistical activities.Prof. Radhakrishna also chaired a number of official committees of national significance. Of them, the Expert Group on Farmers’ Indebtedness (2006-07) and the Committee on Credit Related Issues under SGSY (2008-09) are well known. Following the latter’s recommendations, GoI established National Rural Livelihood Missionin 2011. He was also a member of the three important Planning Commission Expert Groups related to poverty: Task Force on Projections of Minimum Needs and Effective Consumption Demand, 1977-78 (Chairman: Y.K. Alagh); Expert Group on Estimation of Proportion and Number of Poor, 1989-93 (Chairman: D.T. Lakdawala); and Expert Group to Review the Methodologies on Estimation of Poor, 2006-08 (Chairman: Suresh Tendulkar). He was also Chairman of UGC Committee to review universities and ICSSR Review Committee to review its research institutes in North-West India.