Amartya Sen

Amartya Sen (born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher, who since the 1970s has broadened the scope of welfare economics through his work on the causes of famine, human development theory, and the mechanisms of poverty and inequality. His contributions to the field have been instrumental in the development of the capabilities approach, which is concerned with what individuals are able to do and to be, i.e., their capabilities.

Early Life and Education

Amartya Sen was born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, into a university campus where his father taught chemistry. He was exposed to global culture and intellectualism from an early age. Sen attended Presidency College in Kolkata before moving to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a First in Economics. He has held professorships at several prestigious universities, including the London School of Economics, Harvard University, and Oxford University.

Career and Contributions

Sen's career has been marked by his deep interest in welfare economics and social choice theory, a field in which he has made significant contributions. His seminal works, such as "Collective Choice and Social Welfare" (1970) and "Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation" (1981), have had a profound impact on economic theory and policy.

One of Sen's major contributions is his work on famine, where he challenged the common notion that famines are caused solely by a lack of food. In his analysis of famines, including those in Bengal, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh, Sen argued that the root cause of famine was often not an absolute shortage of food, but rather inequalities in the mechanisms for distributing food. His research showed that famine could occur even when there was enough food to feed the population, but due to economic disparity and social stratification, vulnerable segments of society could not access it.

Sen also developed the Capability Approach, which focuses on giving individuals the freedom to achieve well-being, emphasizing the importance of personal choice, opportunity, and comprehensive development. This approach has significantly influenced the creation of the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI), a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development.

Awards and Honors

Amartya Sen has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and more than 100 honorary degrees from universities around the world. His work has made him a pivotal figure in contemporary economic thought, particularly in the areas of poverty, inequality, and development economics.

Personal Life

Sen has been married three times and has three children. He is known for his humility and deep commitment to the issues of justice and equity. Sen continues to teach and write, splitting his time between India and the United States.

Legacy

Amartya Sen's legacy is not just in the realm of economics but also in the broader context of social justice and human development. His work has inspired a generation of economists, philosophers, and policymakers to think more critically about the meaning of economic progress and the importance of ensuring that such progress benefits all members of society.