Amartya Sen

Amartya Kumar Sen (b. 1933) was awarded The Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (1998) (and later Bharat Ratna) for his work in mathematical economics. Amartya Sen is notable for his theories on welfare economics, which try to explain the underlying mechanisms of poverty. Sen was born in Bengal Province, India. Sen has taught economics at Universities in Calcutta, Delhi, Oxford, Harvard and is currently Master of Trinity College in Cambridge, England.

The absurdity of public-choice theory is captured by Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen in the following little scenario: "Can you direct me to the railway station?" asks the stranger. "Certainly," says the local, pointing in the opposite direction, towards the post office, "and would you post this letter for me on your way?" "Certainly," says the stranger, resolving to open it to see if it contains anything worth stealing.

-Linda McQuaig, All You Can Eat

The BBC report of his Nobel Prize was headed "The Economy Nobel prize for work on poverty and hunger" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/193334.stm ). The press release for his prize included

Sen's best-known work in this area is his book from 1981: Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation. Here, he challenges the common view that a shortage of food is the most important (sometimes the only) explanation for famine.

-Press Release: The Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of Sweden) Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 1998 (http://www.nobel.se/economics/laureates/1998/press ).

See also:

• Kerala Province, India

• List of economists
• List of economics consultancies and think tanks
• Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel