Abhijit Banerjee, a renowned Indian-American economist, achieved global recognition for his groundbreaking work in alleviating global poverty. His contributions have significantly impacted the field of development economics, earning him prestigious accolades, including the Nobel Prize.
Wiki/Bio
Born on Tuesday, February 21, 1961, in Kolkata, Abhijit Banerjee’s early life was marked by academic excellence. He completed his schooling at South Point School, Kolkata, followed by a B.S. in Economics from Presidency College, Calcutta (1981) and an M.A. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi (1983). He earned his PhD in Economics from Harvard University in 1988, with a dissertation titled “Essays in Information Economics.”
Physical Appearance
- Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
- Eye Colour: Black
- Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper
Family, Wife & Ethnicity
Abhijit Banerjee hails from a family with a strong background in economics. His father, Dipak Banerjee, was a professor and head of the Economics Department at Presidency College, Calcutta, while his mother, Nirmala Banerjee, was an economics professor at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.
He has been married twice. His first marriage to Dr. Arundhati Tuli Banerjee ended in divorce. They had a son, Kabir Banerjee, who tragically passed away in March 2016. In 2015, Abhijit married Esther Duflo, a fellow economist and his former doctoral student.
Career
After completing his PhD, Abhijit Banerjee held teaching positions at prestigious universities, including Harvard and Princeton, before becoming the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT. His research, notably focused on development economics, utilizes field experiments to establish causal relationships.
In 2013, he was appointed to a UN panel tasked with updating the Millennium Development Goals. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with his wife, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer for their work on alleviating global poverty.
Controversy
During his time at JNU in 1983, Abhijit Banerjee participated in a student protest that led to his arrest and brief imprisonment. The charges were later dropped.
Books Authored
Abhijit Banerjee has authored several influential books on economics and poverty:
| Title | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility And Growth | 2005 | Oxford University Press |
| Making Aid Work | 2005 | MIT Press |
| Understanding Poverty | 2006 | Oxford University Press |
| Poor Economics | 2011 | Public Affairs Book Group |
| Handbook of Field Experiments, Volume 1 & 2 | 2017 | Elsevier |
| A Short History of Poverty Measurements | 2019 | Juggernaut Books |
Awards, Fellowships, and Honours
Abhijit Banerjee’s exceptional contributions have been recognized through numerous awards and honors, including:
- IRIS Scholar (1993)
- Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1994-96)
- Fellow of the Econometric Society (1996)
- Guggenheim Fellow (2000)
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow (2004)
- BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2009)
- Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2019)
Many more awards and recognitions have been received by Abhijit throughout his career. A comprehensive list would be too extensive for this blog post.
Favourite Things
- Dessert: Bengali Sandesh with rose petals
- Food: Exotic Lucknow Style Kebabs
Facts
Despite his significant achievements, Abhijit Banerjee remains grounded in his Indian heritage. His mother recounted that he initially didn’t inform her of his Nobel Prize win.
Following the death of his son, MIT held a memorial service in his honor.
