Blue Planet Prize Story : Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta FBA FRS : 1. The Path to Becoming an Economist

1. The Path to Becoming an Economist

About his childhood in India and the U.S.

Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta's research has been deeply influenced by the lessons he learned from his economist father and his experience of growing up surrounded by multiple cultures.

Professor Dasgupta was born in Dacca, Bangladesh in 1942. He moved to Varanasi, India, where he spent his early childhood. Sacred to the followers of Hindu, India's largest religion, Varanasi is a big city with a large population of people living in poverty. Young Partha often saw beggars and handicapped people in the streets. His father was a famous economist always considering ways to eliminate poverty. While his family was well off, his mother had no intention of shielding Partha from the poverty of the city, and he grew up with friends who were both rich and poor alike.

Partha and his family moved to Washington D.C. because of his father's work. In contrast to Varanasi, Partha found Washington, D.C. to be an affluent, sophisticated city. While there were almost no cars in Varanasi, to Partha, Washington D.C. seemed filled with them. Partha went to school, learned English, and made lots of friends. Although his friends in Varanasi and the United States came from different backgrounds, ethnic groups and economic strata, to him they were all the same.

Partha in Washington with his family (1953)

When Partha was 11 years old, he returned to India. His sister, who was five years his senior and an avid reader, influenced his love of reading and motivation to learn. While Partha was learning more and more, his father taught him something that would stay with him always. He told young Partha, "Do not see things through preconceptions. Look at the evidence and think logically." What his father taught him he took to heart.

Academic career change: from Physics and Mathematics to Economics

Partha did not start out to study economics. He entered the University of Delhi to study physics, the natural choice at the time for a good student like Partha. After graduating from the University of Delhi, he traveled to England to continue his studies at Cambridge University. Hoping to move to an even higher level, he delved deeper into the study of mathematics, which forms the basis of physics. Although intending to continue, he became interested in economics and changed his direction.

"I want to study something that will benefit society."

That was in the midst of the Cold War in the 1960s, when the conflict between capitalism, represented by the United States, and communism, represented by the Soviet Union, was at its peak and American involvement in the war in Vietnam was expanding. Partha wondered why countries fought. He spent more time with economists who were clearly against such conflict, and was greatly influenced by them. Partha thought that studying economics, which forces us to consider the wealth and happiness, may help him to find a solution.

Marriage to Carol.

Partha in Indonesia (1971)

After taking his degree in mathematics at Cambridge, Partha embarked on his study of economics. He studied under the finest teacher and earned a doctorate in economics. In 1971, he began his career as an economist in England, concentrating on subjects that interested him. His research was highly regarded and he was promoted to professor.

Since he studied physics and mathematics before studying economics, Professor Dasgupta's interest covered a wide range of fields. He has specialized knowledge in more than 20 fields and carried out a great deal of research ahead of others. Some of this is shown below.

2. The Relationship Between Humankind and Nature