Amartya Sen

Amartya Kumar Sen (born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential economists of the 20th century. Born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, Sen studied at Presidency College, Calcutta, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned his PhD. He taught at several prestigious institutions including the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Oxford University, Harvard University, and was the master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1998-2004). Sen's most influential works include "Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation" (1981), which challenged the conventional view that famines are caused by food shortages, arguing instead that they result from failures in entitlement and distribution. His capability approach, which measures well-being in terms of what people are able to do and be, has influenced development economics, public policy, and human rights discourse worldwide. His book "Development as Freedom" (1999) argued that development should be understood as the expansion of human capabilities and freedoms rather than merely as economic growth. He has been a vocal critic of communalism and has advocated for secular governance in India. Sen received the Bharat Ratna in 1999 and has received honorary degrees from over 100 universities. He currently serves as a professor at Amartya Sen and has been a champion of education and poverty alleviation globally.