Peterson Institute for International Economics

Economist Arvind Subramanian is the front-runner to become chief economic adviser to India’s finance ministry, a hotly anticipated appointment for the country’s new government given its pledges to tame inflation and kickstart the economy.

He isn’t likely to harbor any illusions about the profound obstacles that stand in the government’s way.

Mr. Subramanian—a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and at the Center for Global Development, both of them in Washington—previously worked for the International Monetary Fund.