Jagdish Bhagwati

Jagdish Natwarlal Bhagwati (born 26 July 1934) is an American economist of Indian origin and professor of economics and law at Columbia University. He is well known for his research in International Trade and for his advocacy of free trade.

Early years and personal life

Bhagwati was born into a Gujarati Family in Mumbai in 1934 and graduated from Sydenham College, Mumbai. He then went with "senior status" to read over two years for the BA in Economics at Cambridge (as did colleague and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen who was at Trinity College) where he was a member of St. John's College, Cambridge and received the degree in 1956. Bhagwati's experience at St John's College joined that of other eminent Indian economists including Sir Partha Dasguptha and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He received the Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967.

Bhagwati is married to Padma Desai, also a Columbia economist and Russia-specialist; they have one daughter. He is brother of P.N. Bhagwati, former Chief Justice of India and also of S.N. Bhagwati, an eminent neurosurgeon. Bhagwati and Desai's joint 1970 OECD study India: Planning for Industrialization was a notable contribution at the time.

Bhagwati is a Democrat.

Career

Bhagwati has previously served as an external advisor to the...
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