Amartya Kumar Sen, born on November 3, 1933, is an Indian economist and philosopher renowned for his contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, and development economics. He was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 and the Bharat Ratna in 1999. Sen's work is characterized by a deep concern for social justice, inequality, and the well-being of the poorest members of society.

Born in Santiniketan, Bengal, British India, Sen's family had a strong academic background. His father was a professor of chemistry, and his maternal grandfather was a Sanskrit scholar. He began his schooling in Dhaka and later attended Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan, a school founded by Rabindranath Tagore. Sen studied at Presidency College, Calcutta, and then at Trinity College, Cambridge, earning a Ph.D. in 1959.

• Professor: Sen has taught at numerous prestigious institutions, including Jadavpur University, Delhi School of Economics, London School of Economics, Oxford University, and Harvard University.
• Master of Trinity College, Cambridge: He was the first Asian head of an Oxbridge college, serving from 1998 to 2004.
• President: Sen has served as president of several prominent economic associations, including the Econometric Society, the American Economic Association, and the International Economic Association.

Sen's work spans various fields, with significant contributions to:

Sen's early work focused on issues raised by Kenneth Arrow's "impossibility theorem," exploring the aggregation of individual preferences into collective decisions. He specified conditions to eliminate intransitivities in majority rule and addressed problems related to individual rights and the availability of information about individual welfare. His book Collective Choice and Social Welfare (1970) is considered a landmark text in the field.

Sen's research on famines challenged the conventional view that food shortage is the primary cause. In his book Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981), he argued that famines occur due to inequalities in food distribution mechanisms and other socioeconomic factors. He has also contributed to the development of poverty indices that account for the degree of poverty among the poor.

Sen's "capability approach" emphasizes the importance of individual capabilities and freedoms in evaluating well-being and development. He argues that development should be viewed as the expansion of real freedoms that individuals enjoy, rather than solely focusing on metrics like GDP. This approach has influenced the formulation of the Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme.

Sen's work on inequality examines the fundamental diversity of human beings and the need to address inequalities endured by disadvantaged groups. He has also written on gender inequality, analyzing the mortality impact of unequal rights between genders. His book, The Idea of Justice (2009), presents his theory of justice as an alternative to those of John Rawls and others.

Sen's contributions have been widely recognized:

• Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1998)
• Bharat Ratna (1999)
• National Humanities Medal (2011)
• Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor (2013)
• Princess of Asturias Award (2021)
• Over 90 honorary degrees from universities worldwide

Sen has been an active commentator on political and social issues, particularly in India. He has spoken out against Hindu nationalism and advocated for a more integrated and diverse ideology. He has also criticized the government's actions in Kashmir and emphasized the importance of public discussion and democracy. However, his views on Bangladesh have been criticized as missing the mark regarding secularism and communalism.

Sen has been married three times and has four children. He is known for his love of reading and engaging in arguments. Sen is an atheist.

Sen has been involved in a dispute with Visva Bharati University regarding land ownership at his ancestral home in Santiniketan.