Arvind Panagariya: High Honors from the Government of India

Professor Arvind Panagariya, Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy at SIPA, has been awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India.

The Padma Bhushan is India’s third highest civilian award, following the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan. It was established in 1954 to recognize distinguished service of a high order in any field.

“Padma Bhushan is such a huge honor,” said Panagariya. “I feel the reward for several decades of hard work and persistence has concentrated in one moment. But the award is also an inducement to do more.”

Arvind Panagariya has taught at SIPA since 2004. He previously taught at the University of Maryland and served as Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank. He has also advised the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

“Without question, Professor Panagariya is one of the world’s foremost experts on Indian economic issues,” said John H. Coatsworth, dean of SIPA and interim provost at Columbia University. “With the growth of the BRIC nations and the emergence of India as a major player in the global arena, SIPA is privileged to have such a distinguished researcher and practitioner on its faculty.”

Panagariya has published numerous books, including the acclaimed India: The Emerging Giant (2008, Oxford University Press) and the forthcoming India’s Tryst with Destiny: Debunking Myths that Undermine Progress and Addressing New Challenges (2012, HarperCollins), co-authored with Professor Jagdish Bhagwati. They also co-edited the forthcoming India’s Reforms: How they Produced Inclusive Growth (2012, Oxford University Press).

Jagdish Bhagwati, Arthur Lehman Professor of Economics and namesake of Columbia’s chair in Indian Political Economy, calls Panagariya the greatest scholar today on the Indian economy.

“The conferment of the Padma Bhushan is only a recognition of what he has achieved,” said Bhagwati. “Research and teaching are what set a University apart; his values are just what Columbia needs.”

Bhagwati was honored with the second highest civilian award in India, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2000. Padma Desai, Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Comparative Economic Systems at Columbia and co-author with Bhagwati on India: Planning for Industrialization (1970, Oxford University Press), also received the Padma Bhushan in 2008.

WATCH: Professor Arvind Panagariya addresses the growth of India and the BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – at SIPA’s inaugural BRIClab conference on December 2, 2011.