Amartya Sen (born 1933)
Amartya Sen is an Indian economist and
Early Life and Education:
Amartya Sen was born in Santiniketan, India, on November 3, 1933. His father, Ashutosh Sen, was a professor of chemistry at Dhaka University, and his mother, Amita Sen, was a homemaker. Sen grew up in a household that valued education and intellectual curiosity, and he was exposed to a wide range of ideas from an early age.
After completing his early education in Dhaka, Sen went on to study at Presidency College in Kolkata, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics. He then went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he completed his PhD in Economics in 1959.
Academic Career:
Sen's academic career began in the United Kingdom, where he held positions at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the University of London. He then moved to the United States, where he taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. In 1988, he was appointed the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, a position he held until 1998.
Sen's research has focused on a wide range of topics, including social choice theory, welfare economics, development economics, and the economics of famine. His early work on social choice theory, which he developed with Kenneth Arrow, showed that there is no perfect voting system that can guarantee that individual preferences are always respected.
In the field of welfare economics, Sen's work challenged the idea that the goal of economic policy should be to maximize aggregate utility or income. Instead, he argued that policymakers should focus on improving the well-being of the least well-off members of society. He also developed the concept of "functionings," which refers to the things that people value and are able to do, such as being healthy, having access to education, or being able to participate in political life.
Sen's work on development economics has focused on the importance of investing in human capabilities, such as education and health care, as a means of promoting economic growth and reducing poverty. His work on the economics of famine showed that famines are not simply a result of food shortages, but are often caused by political and economic factors that prevent people from accessing food.
In addition to his academic work, Sen has been a vocal advocate for social justice and human rights. He has argued that economic growth is not enough to ensure that people live fulfilling lives, and that governments must also address issues such as inequality, discrimination, and political freedom. He has also been a critic of globalization, arguing that it can exacerbate inequality and undermine local cultures and traditions.
Awards and Honors:
Sen has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In 1998, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory. He has also received the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, as well as the National Humanities Medal and the Eisenhower Medal. He has been awarded honorary degrees from universities around the world, including Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard.
Personal Life:
Sen has been married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce, and he is currently married to Emma Rothschild, a professor of history at Harvard University. Sen has two children from his first marriage and one from his second.
No comments