Born in 1913, C. T. Kurien contributed to rethinking economics through his various writings, particularly books and his vision for a practical B.A degree in Economics at Madras Christian College (MCC), an autonomous college situated in Chennai, a port city in Southern India. Besides MCC, another institution he contributed to was Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), a research-only institute, also in Chennai. Kurien passed away in July 2024 aged 93.
This blog post provides a brief introduction to Kurien's life and economics. [1]
Brief Life
While at school in Kerala, Kurien was struck by the glimpses of Indian socio-economic realities found in Minoo Masani's Our India, which was a text for his English course. It was recommended that he study logic and history before undertaking a degree in economics; and so, Kurien pursued his Intermediate (today's class 11 & 12) from St. Joseph's College, Bengaluru between 1948 and 1950.
Kurien did his B.A (Hons.) Economics at MCC (1950-53). In an autographical discussion in Rethinking Economics: Reflections Based on a Study of the Indian Economy (1996), Kurien shares details regarding his academic life. As a BA student, Kurien had to study 6 papers and write one essay; in the first year, he had 'Principles of Economics' and 'Economic History'; and in his final year, he had 'Public Finance' and 'Rural Economics'. The 'Principles of Economics' course dealt with the theory of consumer behaviour drawn from marginalist economists such as Lionel Robbins. It was in the 'Public Finance' course where the students were exposed to contemporary discussions related to the Indian Economy.
Since Madras University recognised BA (hons) as equivalent to an MA in Economics, Kurien was eligible for lectureship. And so, after his BA, he joined the teaching faculty at MCC in 1953. Kurien was to be associated with MCC for 25 years—he left MCC in 1978.[2] Between 1953 and 1958, Kurien (1996) identifies two debates, which took place in the pages of Economic Weekly that influenced him. First was VKRV Rao's critique of Keynesian economics based on the standpoint of Indian specificities. The second was the debate on the choice of technique in relation to questions regarding planning. In the former, KN Raj, Joan Robinson, Amartya Sen, and others participated.
Taking a leave of absence from MCC, Kurien moved to Stanford University in 1958 to begin work on his PhD, which was completed in 1962. His teachers included H. Houthakker, K. Arrow, Irma Adelman, Hollis Chenery, Lorie Tarshis and Bernard Haley. Kurien's Ph.D supervisor was Chenery, and when Chenery left to join the Kennedy administration, Moses Abramovitz became Kurien's supervisor. Kurien's Ph.D thesis was titled Factor Market Structure and Technological Characteristics of an Underdeveloped Country: An Indian Case Study. The central argument was that there was a rational basis "for factor market imperfections in underdeveloped countries, particularly those said to be characterised by surplus labour" (p. 27).
In 1978, Kurien left MCC and joined MIDS as its director. MIDS was founded by Malcolm Adisheshiah in 1970 and in 1977 was reconstituted as an Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) institute. Kurien served as Chairman of MIDS from 1997 to 2003. At MIDS, he supervised ten PhD dissertations (for the list, see Appendix A). In 1996, Kurien received UGC's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2002, he served as the President of Indian Economic Association.
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