Ascent: Amartya Sen

Indian economist & philosopher · b. 1933

Amartya Sen is an Indian economist and philosopher who was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics. Born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, Sen’s work on famine, human development theory, welfare economics, and the underlying mechanisms of poverty has been transformative.

His capability approach — the idea that development should be measured not by GDP but by the freedoms people actually enjoy — has profoundly influenced the United Nations Human Development Index.

Selected Works Available at RC

• Development as Freedom — Call No: 338.9 SEN
• The Argumentative Indian — Call No: 954 SEN
• The Idea of Justice — Call No: 340.11 SEN