|
|
Article: Amartya Sen--a contrarian view.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
- Article from:
- Finance & Development
- Article date:
- March 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 International Monetary Fund. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
I read with great interest the brilliant piece on Amartya Sen ("Freedom as Progress," September 2004). As an Indian economist from Santiniketan where Professor Sen studied, I take a great interest in what he says and does. While I am an ardent admirer of Professor Sen, no portrayal should be adulation only. There is always a flip side--imperfection is part of any man or woman! So let me suggest a contrarian view.
While it is true that Professor Sen conducted pioneering research on poverty and hunger, he was not the first to argue that it was an ineffective entitlement system rather than a decline in food availability that triggered famines. Jawaharlal Nehru and ...