Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on poverty and human rights

Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen recently spoke at the Baker Institute on the relationship between economic development and human rights. Best known for his work on the causes of famine and his approach to measuring poverty, Sen teaches that economic and social deprivation restrict freedom, and respect for human rights provides a platform for economic growth.

Sen is the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and a professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University. The institute co-hosted his appearance with the Program in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality at Rice University.

View Sen’s entire Oct. 21, 2011, lecture, “The Reach and Limits of Growth: Economic Recession, Development and Human Capability.”