Daniel Thorner
Encyclopedia
Daniel Thorner was an American-born economist
known for his work on agricultural economics
and Indian economic history. He is known for the application of historical and contemporary economic analysis on policy and influenced agricultural policy in India in the 1950s through his association with the Planning Commission. Along with D. D. Kosambi
and R.S. Sharma
, he brought peasants into the study of Indian history for the first time.
in the 1930s and served in India
during World War II
. He completed his thesis on the conditions of the British
railway and steam ship enterprise in India in 1950 from the University of Pennsylvania
, later published as a book. He subsequently joined the University of Pennsylvania South Asia Regional Studies Program to teach Indian economic history. He married Alice Thorner, who was a collaborator and co-author of many of his works on India.
, there was a witchhunt for leftist economists, and Thorner would not divulge the names of his leftist friends. Thus he lost his job and a government-funded fellowship for a project in India. He borrowed money from his parents and left for Bombay in 1952 along with his wife He travelled extensively in Indian villages and continued to work on agricultural economics.
In Bombay, he built a large circle of friends and admirers and contributed to the Economic and Political Weekly
. He also lectured at the Delhi School of Economics
. His interactions with PC Mahalanobis
resulted in his contributions to the Planning Commission to refine the tabulations of the 1961 census.The previous tabulations for the 1881 and 1911 Indian census developed by Colin Clark
showed a significant decline in the share of Indian workforce in various industrial sectors implying drastic deindustrialization. Thorner reexamined the census data and convincingly argued that the tabulations used by Clark were misleading. He concluded from the data that de-industrialization in India was very modest in the twentieth century, and any de-industrialzation had occurred in the late nineteenth century, contrary to prevailing belief.
. He edited the works of Harold H. Mann, an economist and Alexander Chayanov
. He was instrumental in introducing Chayanov's work to the English-speaking scholars. He continued to visit South Asia
often and helped with the escape from persecution of some intellectuals from Dhaka
during the Bangladesh Liberation War
After a brief period of illness, he died in 1974.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
known for his work on agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
and Indian economic history. He is known for the application of historical and contemporary economic analysis on policy and influenced agricultural policy in India in the 1950s through his association with the Planning Commission. Along with D. D. Kosambi
D. D. Kosambi
Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi was an Indian mathematician, statistician, Marxist historian, and polymath who contributed to genetics by introducing Kosambi's map function. He is well-known for his work in numismatics and for compiling critical editions of ancient Sanskrit texts...
and R.S. Sharma
Ram Sharan Sharma
Ram Sharan Sharma was an eminent historian of Ancient and early Medieval India. He had taught at Patna University, Delhi University and the University of Toronto and was a senior fellow at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; University Grants Commission National Fellow...
, he brought peasants into the study of Indian history for the first time.
Early life
He graduated from Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in the 1930s and served in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He completed his thesis on the conditions of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
railway and steam ship enterprise in India in 1950 from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, later published as a book. He subsequently joined the University of Pennsylvania South Asia Regional Studies Program to teach Indian economic history. He married Alice Thorner, who was a collaborator and co-author of many of his works on India.
Return to India
During the 1950s, under Senator Joseph McCarthyJoseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
, there was a witchhunt for leftist economists, and Thorner would not divulge the names of his leftist friends. Thus he lost his job and a government-funded fellowship for a project in India. He borrowed money from his parents and left for Bombay in 1952 along with his wife He travelled extensively in Indian villages and continued to work on agricultural economics.
Academic work
His stay in India resulted in three books on Indian agriculture. The first one, The Agrarian Prospect in India published in 1956, was based on his direct observations and interactions with villagers in several parts of India. His two subsequent books were published after he left India and were Agricultural cooperatives in India, a collection of papers on agriculture and economic history and Land and Labour in India. Both were analytical works, examining the impact of policy on Indian farmers and boldly questioned existing statistics, reports and data, where they were poor or unreliable.In Bombay, he built a large circle of friends and admirers and contributed to the 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 also lectured at the Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics , commonly referred to as DSE or D School, is a centre of post graduate learning of the University of Delhi. The centre is situated in the university's North Campus in Maurice Nagar, and is surrounded by a host of other prestigious academic institutions of the country...
. His interactions with PC Mahalanobis
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis FRS was an Indian scientist and applied statistician. He is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure. He made pioneering studies in anthropometry in India...
resulted in his contributions to the Planning Commission to refine the tabulations of the 1961 census.The previous tabulations for the 1881 and 1911 Indian census developed by Colin Clark
Colin Clark
Colin Grant Clark was a British and Australian economist and statistician who worked in both the United Kingdom and Australia. He pioneered the use of the gross national product as the basis for studying national economies.-Biography:Colin Clark was born in London in 1905 and was educated at the...
showed a significant decline in the share of Indian workforce in various industrial sectors implying drastic deindustrialization. Thorner reexamined the census data and convincingly argued that the tabulations used by Clark were misleading. He concluded from the data that de-industrialization in India was very modest in the twentieth century, and any de-industrialzation had occurred in the late nineteenth century, contrary to prevailing belief.
Later life
Due to desire to return to a university and partially due to economic reasons, he left India in 1962 after spending ten years, to take up an academic position at SorbonneSorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. He edited the works of Harold H. Mann, an economist and Alexander Chayanov
Alexander Chayanov
Alexander V. Chayanov was a Soviet agrarian economist, and scholar of rural sociology and advocate of agrarianism and cooperatives....
. He was instrumental in introducing Chayanov's work to the English-speaking scholars. He continued to visit South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
often and helped with the escape from persecution of some intellectuals from Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
during the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
After a brief period of illness, he died in 1974.