(February 13, 2012) Nobel laureate and Harvard Economics Professor Amartya Sen is one of nine scholars named by President Obama to receive the 2011 National Humanities Medal.
Professor Sen was named “for his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice” in a statement released by the White House. Among Professor Sen’s many contributions in the field of economics, he is best known for his work on the causes of famine. He also helped to create the United Nations’ Human Development Index to “shift the focus of development economics from national income accounting to people centered policies.”
The 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal awards were presented by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House on Monday, February 13, 2012.
Professor Sen is the first Indian to be honored with the medal which has typically been given to US nationals in its sixteen year history.
Amartya Sen is Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University.
President Obama to Award 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal, White House Press Release, February 10, 2012
Barack Obama to felicitate Amartya Sen, The Economic Times/Times of India, February 11, 2012
Amartya Sen to receive US Humanities Medal from Obama by Uttara Choudhury, Firstpost.World, February 13, 2012
Obama to felicitate Indian economist Amartya Sen, NDTV, February 12, 2012
Indian Nobel laureate Amartya Sen honoured in US, BBC News India, February 14, 2012
Medals Honor Humanities: Harvard Affiliates Win National Humanities Medals, The Harvard Crimson, February 14, 2012
Professor Sen's faculty web page