Jagdish Bhagwati Biography

Jagdish Bhagwati, a University Professor of Economics at Columbia University and a world-renowned economist is noted for his defense of free trade against the critics of globalization. He was a member of the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s high-level advisory group and the external advisor to the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Born in Mumbai in 1934, he did his graduation from Mumbai in 1954 and his post-graduation from Cambridge University, before moving for his PhD to the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He returned to India in 1961 and worked as a Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute and the Delhi School of Economics, before returning to MIT in 1968, then moving on to Columbia University.

He currently serves on the Academic Advisory Board of Human Rights Watch (Asia) and is a Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations. His book, In Defense of Globalization, published in May 2004 received widespread acclaim. He received the Padma Vibhushan award in 2000 and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in 2004.

He has been contributing articles to many renowned newspapers and magazines, besides writing many books. His famous books include In Defense of Globalization, Free Trade Today, The Wind of the Hundred Days and A Stream of Windows. He has received honorary degrees from many Universities.