The year 2008 marks Professor Amartya Sen’s 75th birthday. Professor Sen has made deep and lasting contributions to the academic disciplines of economics, philosophy, and the social sciences more broadly. He has engaged in policy dialogue and public debate, advancing the cause of a human development focused policy agenda, and a tolerant and democratic polity. This ‘Argumentative Indian’ has always spoken up for the needs of the poorest segments of society, and for the openness and plurality of cultures. He has won important awards, ranging from the Nobel Prize in Economics to the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. This public recognition has gone hand in hand with the affection and admiration that Professor Sen’s friends and students feel for him.
Clearly, a celebration is called for. We will be holding a conference in his honour on 19-20 December 2008, in New Delhi. The conference will be inaugurated by Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, and many of the world’s leading economists and social scientists will be present at the celebration. It will have three components:
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