Amartya Sen to be awarded the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his work on issues around global justice

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has been awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his decades-long work around issues of global justice. To be presented by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, Börsenverein, the award will recognise the Indian economist’s contribution in addressing questions around social inequality in education and healthcare. As per an ET Now report, the announcement of the winner of the 2020 prize was made on 17 June by Börsenverein’s head and the chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Karin Schmidt-Friderichs.

A statement by the foundation’s jury, which bestowed the award on the 86-year-old economist acknowledged Sen’s contribution to the idea of evaluating a country’s wealth, not on economic growth alone, but also the number of development opportunities available to citizens across various economic backgrounds.  According to the Times of India, the statement reads, “The association and its members have chosen to pay tribute to a pioneering scholar, who has addressed issues of  global justice for decades and whose work to combat social inequality in education and healthcare is as relevant today as ever.” The award ceremony is set to take place on 18 October, 2020 in Frankfurt. Sen, who was born and raised in West Bengal went on to receive his doctorate from Trinity College, Cambridge and was the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Since 2004, he has been a professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University.