A.K. Dasgupta
Encyclopedia
A.K. Dasgupta (1903–1992) has been described as "one of the founding fathers of modern economics in India" and "a true pioneer in developmental economics".
His son is the noted economist Partha Dasgupta
.
Dasgupta obtained his Matriculation degree from Goila School (established in 1883 by his uncle, Rajnikanto Dasgupta) in 1920; his Intermediate degree from the Brojomohun College, Barisal, East Bengal, 1922, which was then affiliated with the University of Calcutta
. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Economics in 1925,and 1926 respectively as a student of the University of Dacca.
During the years of 1926-1946 Dasgupta was Lecturer in Economics at Dacca University. On leave from his lectureship, he worked for a Ph.D in Economics at the London School of Economics in 1934-1936 (elected Honorary Fellow, 1978). His Ph.D supervisor was Professor (subsequently Lord) Lionel Robbins.
Among the earliest members of the Hindu diaspora from what is now Bangladesh, Dasgupta and his wife, Shanti, and their two children (Alaknanda and Partha) migrated to Delhi in 1946. Apart from brief appointments abroad (Chief of the South Asia Division, International Monetary Fund, 1950–53; Commonwealth Visiting Fellow, University of Cambridge, 1963–64), he remained in India.
Dasgupta died on 14 January 1992, in Santiniketan, India.
Dasgupta was also a renowned teacher (among his students: S.R. Sen, Ashok Mitra, and Amartya Sen). In his obituary piece, Sen goes on to write, "... Dasgupta was a great teacher who could make the subject come alive with imagination, wit, lucidity, and a quality that I can only describe as astute compassion."
Dasgupta was one of the founders, in 1949, of the internationally known journal, The Economic Weekly (current name, Economic and Political Weekly
). He was President of the Indian Economic Association in 1959. In 2009 his collected works were published by Oxford University Press in three volumes (Two Treatises on Classical Political Economy (Vol. I), Essays in Economic Theory (Vol. II), and Essays in Planning and Public Policy (Vol. III)), compiled and edited by his daughter, Alaknanda Patel.
Planning for Economic Growth (George Allen & Unwin, 1965)
The Economics of Austerity (Oxford University Press, 1975)
Epochs of Economic Theory (Basil Blackwell, 1985)
The Collected Works of A.K. Dasgupta, Volume I: Two Treatises on Classical Political Economy, edited by Alaknanda Patel (Oxford University Press, 2009)
The Collected Works of A.K. Dasgupta, Volume II: Essays in Economic Theory, edited by Alaknanda Patel (Oxford University Press, 2009)
The Collected Works of A.K. Dasgupta, Volume III: Essays in Planning and Public Policy, edited by Alaknanda Patel (Oxford University Press, 2009)
His son is the noted economist Partha Dasgupta
Partha Dasgupta
Professor Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, FRS, FBA , is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge; Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; and Professor of Environmental and Development Economics at the...
.
Life and Education
Amiya Kumar Dasgupta was born on 16 July 1903, in Bhanga, Faridpur district, East Bengal, India (now Bangladesh). His childhood was spent in Goila, a village in Barisal district, East Bengal, India (now Bangladesh).Dasgupta obtained his Matriculation degree from Goila School (established in 1883 by his uncle, Rajnikanto Dasgupta) in 1920; his Intermediate degree from the Brojomohun College, Barisal, East Bengal, 1922, which was then affiliated with the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Economics in 1925,and 1926 respectively as a student of the University of Dacca.
During the years of 1926-1946 Dasgupta was Lecturer in Economics at Dacca University. On leave from his lectureship, he worked for a Ph.D in Economics at the London School of Economics in 1934-1936 (elected Honorary Fellow, 1978). His Ph.D supervisor was Professor (subsequently Lord) Lionel Robbins.
Among the earliest members of the Hindu diaspora from what is now Bangladesh, Dasgupta and his wife, Shanti, and their two children (Alaknanda and Partha) migrated to Delhi in 1946. Apart from brief appointments abroad (Chief of the South Asia Division, International Monetary Fund, 1950–53; Commonwealth Visiting Fellow, University of Cambridge, 1963–64), he remained in India.
Dasgupta died on 14 January 1992, in Santiniketan, India.
Economic Work
Dasgupta is widely acknowledged to have been India's leading economic theorist in the decades 1930-60 (he published a number of seminal articles and books in economic theory and the history of economic thought) and a pioneer in contemporary development economics. In his obituary, the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen wrote, "(Dasgupta) was one of the true pioneers of development economics. He had also made substantial contributions to the history of economic ideas, and in particular to analysing the diverse perspectives of alternative traditions of economic reasoning and their interconnections. He has important publications in at least a dozen other areas in economics ...".Dasgupta was also a renowned teacher (among his students: S.R. Sen, Ashok Mitra, and Amartya Sen). In his obituary piece, Sen goes on to write, "... Dasgupta was a great teacher who could make the subject come alive with imagination, wit, lucidity, and a quality that I can only describe as astute compassion."
Dasgupta was one of the founders, in 1949, of the internationally known journal, The Economic Weekly (current name, Economic and Political Weekly
Economic and Political Weekly
The Economic and Political Weekly is a left-leaning Indian magazine published from Mumbai by the Sameeksha Trust, a charitable trust. The magazine was first published in 1949 as the Economic Weekly and since 1966 was re-christened the Economic and Political Weekly. It was edited by Krishna Raj...
). He was President of the Indian Economic Association in 1959. In 2009 his collected works were published by Oxford University Press in three volumes (Two Treatises on Classical Political Economy (Vol. I), Essays in Economic Theory (Vol. II), and Essays in Planning and Public Policy (Vol. III)), compiled and edited by his daughter, Alaknanda Patel.
Professional Affiliations
- 1926-46: Lecturer, Dacca University
- 1946-47: Senior Lecturer, Sri Ram College of Commerce
- 1947: Professor, Ravenshaw CollegeRavenshaw CollegeRavenshaw College is located in Cuttack, India.The college was established in 1878 for Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, a descendant of William Withers...
- 1947-58: Professor, Banaras Hindu University
- 1958-61: Deputy Director General, National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi
- 1961-65: Professor, Indian School of International Studies
- 1965-71: Director, A.N. Sinha Institute of Social StudiesA.N. Sinha Institute of Social StudiesA N Sinha Institute of Social Studies is a premier social research institution established in 1958 by an Act of the Government of Bihar. It is named after Bihar Vibhuti Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, one ofthe architects of modern Bihar and first Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister of Bihar. It...
, Patna - 1970-73: Member, Third Pay CommissionPay commissionA Pay Commission is a panel of members of the Union Cabinet of India for review and revision of the salaries of government employees. It was set up by the Central Government in the year 1965 and as an administrative committee to determine the salaries of central government employees...
of India - 1976-82: Honorary Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Selected Publications
"Keynesian Economics and Underdeveloped Countries", Economic Weekly, January 1954 (reprinted on his birth centenary in Economic and Political Weekly 2003, Vol. 38, No. 28, pp. 2919–2922)Planning for Economic Growth (George Allen & Unwin, 1965)
The Economics of Austerity (Oxford University Press, 1975)
Epochs of Economic Theory (Basil Blackwell, 1985)
The Collected Works of A.K. Dasgupta, Volume I: Two Treatises on Classical Political Economy, edited by Alaknanda Patel (Oxford University Press, 2009)
The Collected Works of A.K. Dasgupta, Volume II: Essays in Economic Theory, edited by Alaknanda Patel (Oxford University Press, 2009)
The Collected Works of A.K. Dasgupta, Volume III: Essays in Planning and Public Policy, edited by Alaknanda Patel (Oxford University Press, 2009)