Pranab Bardhan (born 11 September 1939) is an Indian
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
who has taught and worked in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
since 1979. He is
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
...
of Economics at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
.
Biography
Bardhan received his bachelor's degree at
Presidency College, Kolkata in 1958, his master's at
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...
in 1960, and his doctorate at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
in 1966 with a dissertation entitled ''Economic Growth and the Pattern of International Trade and Investment: A Study in Pure Theory''.
[ Quote: "Degree: Ph.D. Cambridge University, 1966"] He taught at the University of Calcutta (1961–62),
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
(1966–69),
Indian Statistical Institute
The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is a public research university headquartered in Kolkata, India with centers in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Tezpur. It was declared an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India und ...
(1969–72), the
Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as D School, is an institution of higher learning within the Delhi University. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Establishe ...
of the
University of Delhi
The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...
(1973–77) and joined the Berkeley economics department in 1977. He has been Visiting Professor/ Fellow at
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
,
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
,
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. In 1974, it was also one of the first men's colleges to admit women. It has 528 un ...
, and
University of Siena
The University of Siena (, abbreviation: UNISI), located in Siena, Tuscany, holds the distinction of being Italy's first publicly funded university as well as one of the oldest, originally established as ''Studium Senese'' in 1240. As of 2022, it ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
His early work was on growth and trade theory. Subsequently, he has done theoretical and empirical research on rural institutions in poor countries, on political economy of development policies, and on international trade and globalisation. A part of his work is in the interdisciplinary area of economics, political science, and social anthropology.
He has been on the editorial board of a number of economics journals, including ''
The American Economic Review
The ''American Economic Review'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal first published by the American Economic Association in 1911. The current editor-in-chief is Erzo FP Luttmer, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College. The journal i ...
'' (1978–81), the ''
Journal of Economic Perspectives
The ''Journal of Economic Perspectives'' (''JEP'') is an economic journal published by the American Economic Association. The journal was established in 1987. The JEP was founded by Joseph Stiglitz, Carl Shapiro, and Timothy Taylor.
It is orien ...
'' (1989–94), the ''
International Economic Review'' (associate editor, 1971–1985), and the ''
Journal of Development Economics
The ''Journal of Development Economics'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Elsevier. It was established in 1974 and is considered the top field journal in development economics.
Its editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC ...
'' (chief editor, 1985 to 2003).
[Pranab Bardhan CV](_blank)
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He won a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
in 1981 and th
Mohalanobis Gold Medal
of th
Indian Econometric Society
in 1980.
He is the author of 13 books, more than 150 journal articles, and the editor of 12 other books.
Views
For Bardhan, equality of opportunity is more important than equality of income. Equality of opportunity depends on such factors as land distribution, education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, and social equality
Social equality is a state of affairs in which all individuals within society have equal rights, liberties, and status, possibly including civil rights, freedom of expression, autonomy, and equal access to certain public goods and social servi ...
. In his book ''The Political Economy of Development in India'', Bardhan discusses the nature of dominant proprietary classes in India'. He claims that the industrial capitalist class, rich farmers, and the professionals in the public sector are the three main dominant classes in India which play a major role in influencing and designing public policy. Bardhan claims that there is a conflict of interests among these classes and they fight and bargain to get adequate share in the spoils of the system. This process of negotiation and bargain gives relative autonomy to the Indian state to exert its power.[Bardhan, Pranab (1984). The political economy of development in India. Oxford, New Delhi, .]
Bardhan is famous for this prediction about China (2005):
"China's authoritarian system of government will likely be a major economic liability in the long run, regardless of its immediate implications for short-run policy decisions.
source:Speech by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at the 37th Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi - India in an Asian Renaissance
Selected works
Books
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* ''(A memoir.)''
::In Bengali as:
Chapters in books
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References
External links
About FFIPP
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bardhan, Pranab
1939 births
Living people
Academics from Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata alumni
University of Calcutta alumni
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty
Academic staff of Delhi University
Indian development economists
20th-century Indian economists
Indian emigrants to the United States
American people of Bengali descent
American people of Indian descent
Academic staff of the University of Calcutta