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{{short description|Indian-American economist (born 1961)}}
{{Distinguish|Abhijit Banerjee (composer)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox academic
| image = Abhijit Banerjee at the 2025 Jaipur Literature Festival.jpg
| caption = Banerjee in 2025
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|2|21}}
| birth_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| citizenship = [[Americans|American]]
| occupation = Economist
| spouses = Arundhati Tuli Banerjee (div. 2014) [[Esther Duflo]] (m. 2015)
| children = 3
| awards = [[Sloan Research Fellowship]] (1994) [[Guggenheim Fellowship]] [[Infosys Prize]] (2009) Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2019) Golden Plate from Academy of Achievement (2022)
| alma_mater = [[Presidency University, Kolkata|Presidency College]] (BSc) [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) [[Harvard University]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| thesis_title = Essays on Information Economics
| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/303678568/
| thesis_year = 1988
| doctoral_advisor = [[Eric Maskin]] • [[Andreu Mas-Colell]] • [[Jerry Green (economist)|Jerry Green]]
| discipline = [[Economics]]
| sub_discipline = [[Development economics]]
| workplaces = [[University of Zurich]] (2026–) [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] (1993–present) [[National Bureau of Economic Research|NBER]] (2006–present) [[Harvard University]] (1992–1993) [[Princeton University]] (1988-1992)
| doctoral_students = [[Esther Duflo]] • [[Dean Karlan]] • [[João Leão]] • [[Benjamin Jones (economist)|Benjamin Jones]] • [[Nancy Qian]] • [[Maitreesh Ghatak]] • [[Asim Ijaz Khwaja|Asim Khwaja]]
}}

'''Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee''' ({{IPA|bn|oβid͡ʒit bænard͡ʒi}}; born 21 February 1961)<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2019 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/banerjee/biographical/ |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=NobelPrize.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date= |title=Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee CV |url=https://economics.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2022-08/2022.08%20on%20website.pdf |access-date=2023-11-30}}</ref> is an [[Indian Americans|Indian American]] [[economist]] who is currently the [[Ford Foundation]] International Professor of Economics at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web | url=https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/banerjee/short | title=Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee Economics Department MIT | publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] | date=14 October 2019 | access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Abhijit Banerjee |url=https://www.theigc.org/people/abhijit-banerjee |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=International Growth Centre |language=en}}</ref> He is co-founder and co-director of the [[Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab|Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)]], an [[MIT]] based global research center promoting the use of scientific evidence to inform poverty alleviation strategies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-15 |title=J-PAL Co-Founders Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo Awarded Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics |url=https://www.povertyactionlab.org/updates/j-pal-co-founders-abhijit-banerjee-and-esther-duflo-awarded-nobel-memorial-prize-1 |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Smialek |first=Jeanna |date=2019-10-14 |title=Nobel Economics Prize Goes to Pioneers in Reducing Poverty |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/business/nobel-economics.html |access-date=2023-11-30}}</ref> In 2019, Banerjee shared the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]] with [[Esther Duflo]] and [[Michael Kremer]], "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /> He and [[Esther Duflo]] are married, and became the [[List of couples awarded the Nobel Prize|sixth married couple]] to jointly win a [[Nobel Prize|Nobel or Nobel Memorial Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo is the 6th couple to win a Nobel Prize |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/abhijit-banerjee-esther-duflo-is-the-6th-couple-to-win-a-nobel-prize-1609567-2019-10-15 |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=India Today |date=15 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to his academic appointments, Banerjee is a fellow of the [[Econometric Society]],<ref name=":5" /> a member of the [[National Academy of Sciences]],<ref name=":2" /> and a fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref name=":5" /> In 1994, he received a [[Sloan Research Fellowship]],<ref name=":5" /> awarded annually to early career researchers with the "potential to revolutionize their fields." According to [[Research Papers in Economics]], Banerjee is among the most productive development economists in the world, ranking in the top 75 researchers by total research output.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Economist Rankings {{!}} IDEAS/RePEc |url=https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.person.all.html |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=ideas.repec.org}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Banerjee was born to a [[Bengalis|Bengali]] father and a [[Marathi people|Marathi]] mother in [[Mumbai]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-10-15 |title=India's A+ in economics: After Amartya, it's Abhijit |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indias-a-in-economics-after-amartya-its-abhijit/articleshow/71588584.cms |access-date=2024-06-11 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |quote=The 1961-born Banerjee, born to a Maharashtrian mother and Bengali father ....}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-10-15 |title=Abhijit was an economist by accident, but is an ace cook, says mother Nirmala |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/abhijit-was-an-economist-by-accident-but-is-an-ace-cook-says-mother-nirmala/articleshow/71589170.cms |access-date=2024-06-11 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |quote=Nirmala, a Marathi by birth, and her husband, the late Dipak Banerjee, were both eminent economists.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AB positive |url=https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2019/10/18/ab-positive.html |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=The Week |language=en |quote=He was born in Mumbai in 1961; his mother, who is also an economist, is a Marathi.}}</ref> His father, [[Dipak Banerjee]], was a professor of economics at [[Presidency College Calcutta|Presidency College, Calcutta]], and received his [[PhD]] from the [[London School of Economics]] under the supervision of [[Richard Lipsey]].<ref name=":3" /> His mother, Nirmala (née Patankar) Banerjee was a professor at the [[Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta]].<ref name=":3" />

Banerjee attended secondary school at [[South Point School]] in [[Kolkata]], where he was described as a "brilliant" but "very quiet" student.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Abhijit was a quiet boy from class of 1976 at South Point' |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/abhijit-was-a-quiet-boy-from-class-of-1976-at-south-point/cid/1711766 |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=www.telegraphindia.com |language=en}}</ref> During high school, he was interested in literature, history, philosophy, and mathematics, choosing to pursue his undergraduate studies in the latter at the [[Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata]].<ref name=":3" /> He dropped out of the program after one week, transferring to [[Presidency University, Kolkata|Presidency College]], then an affiliate of the [[University of Calcutta]], to study economics.

Banerjee spent three years at [[Presidency University, Kolkata|Presidency]], receiving a [[BSc]] (Honors) in Economics in 1981.<ref name=":4" /> He took classes with his father, [[Dipak Banerjee]], in addition to [[Mihir Rakshit]].<ref name=":3" /> His favorite subject was [[economic history]], taught by [[Nabhendu Sen]].<ref name=":3" />

After completing his undergraduate studies, Banerjee pursued an [[Master of Arts|MA]] in Economics at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University|Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi]], selecting to study there over the [[Delhi School of Economics]] because of its political life, and the latter's reputation as a stepping stone to [[PhD]] programs in the [[United States]], which Banerjee had little interest in pursuing.<ref name=":3" /> His teachers included [[Anjan Mukherjee]] and [[Krishna Bharadwaj (economist)|Krishna Bharadwaj]], the latter of whom taught a course on the history of economic thought.<ref name=":3" /> While studying at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University|JNU]], Banerjee was arrested, imprisoned, and beaten at [[Tihar Jail]], in response to a protest in which students [[gherao]]ed the then vice chancellor of the university.<ref>{{Cite web |title=When Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee spent 10 days in Tihar jail |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/nobel-laureate-abhijit-banerjee-tihar-jail-jnu-protest-1609360-2019-10-14 |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=India Today |date=14 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Banerjee's JNU arrest and 12 days in Tihar jail |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/banerjee-s-jnu-arrest-and-12-days-in-tihar-jail/cid/1711818 |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=www.telegraphindia.com |language=en}}</ref> He completed his degree in 1983, and was encouraged by his parents and teachers to apply for [[PhD]] programs in economics.<ref name=":3" />

Banerjee applied to [[Harvard University|Harvard]], [[Stanford University|Stanford]], and the [[University of California, Berkeley]], attending the first of these despite no students from [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] having previously been admitted to the university.<ref name=":3" /> At [[Harvard University|Harvard]], his classmates included [[Tyler Cowen]], [[Alan Krueger]], [[Steven Kaplan (economist)|Steven Kaplan]], and [[Nouriel Roubini]].<ref name=":3" /> He attended courses with [[Andreu Mas-Colell]], [[Lawrence Summers]], [[Kala Krishna]], [[Oliver Hart (economist)|Oliver Hart]], and [[Susan M. Collins (economist)|Susan Collins]], and briefly served as a research assistant to [[Jeffrey Sachs]].<ref name=":3" /> His dissertation research, supervised by [[Eric Maskin]], was primarily theoretical, and examined the economics of information.<ref name=":3" />

==Academic career==
Banerjee is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;<ref>{{cite web |title=Abhijit Banerjee – Short Bio |url=https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/banerjee/short |website=economics.mit.edu |access-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> he has taught at [[Harvard University]] and [[Princeton University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=MIT economists Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee win Nobel Prize |url=http://news.mit.edu/2019/esther-duflo-abhijit-banerjee-win-2019-nobel-prize-economics-1014 |website=MIT News |date=14 October 2019 |access-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> He has also been a [[Guggenheim Fellow]] and an [[Sloan Fellowship|Alfred P. Sloan Fellow]].<ref name=":2" />

His work focuses on [[development economics]]. Together with Esther Duflo he has discussed [[field experiments]] as an important methodology to discover causal relationships in economics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Banerjee |first1=Abhijit V |last2=Duflo |first2=Esther |title=The Experimental Approach to Development Economics |url=https://www.nber.org/papers/w14467 |website=nber.org |series=Working Paper Series |publisher=National Bureau of Economic Research |access-date=15 October 2019 |date=November 2008|doi=10.3386/w14467 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
He was elected a fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 2004.<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterB.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=17 May 2011}}</ref> In 2009, he received the [[Infosys Prize]] in the social sciences (economics) category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com/winner_ss_abhijit_banerjee.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517161347/http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com/winner_ss_abhijit_banerjee.html|url-status=dead|title=Infosys Prize 2009 – Social Sciences – Economics|archive-date=17 May 2011|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> He served on the Social Sciences jury for the [[Infosys Prize]] in 2018.
In 2012, he shared the [[Gerald Loeb Award]] Honorable Mention for Business Book with co-author Esther Duflo for their book ''[[Poor Economics]]''.<ref name=LOEB-2012>{{Cite web |url=http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/media-relations/2012/loeb-award-winners |title=UCLA Anderson Announces 2012 Gerald Loeb Award Winners |date=26 June 2012 |website=[[UCLA Anderson School of Management]] |access-date=2 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412190353/https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/media-relations/2012/loeb-award-winners |archive-date=12 April 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2013, he was named by the United Nations Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] to a panel of experts tasked with updating the [[Millennium Development Goals]] after 2015 (their expiration date).<ref>{{cite web|title=Ban names high-level panel to map out 'bold' vision for future global development efforts|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42597&Cr=mdgs&Cr1|access-date=6 November 2013|date = 31 July 2012}}</ref>

In 2014, he received the Bernhard-Harms-Prize from the [[Kiel Institute for the World Economy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bernhard Harms Prize 2014 |url=https://www.ifw-kiel.de/institute/events/prizes-and-awards/bernhard-harms-prize/events/bernhard-harms-prize-2014/ |website=ifw-kiel.de |access-date=15 October 2019 |language=en |archive-date=8 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008074314/https://www.ifw-kiel.de/institute/events/prizes-and-awards/bernhard-harms-prize/events/bernhard-harms-prize-2014/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2019, he delivered Export-Import Bank of India's 34th Commencement Day Annual Lecture on Redesigning Social Policy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/make-govt-jobs-less-cushy-mit-economist-abhijit-banerjee-on-10-quota-119010901160_1.html|title=Make govt jobs less cushy: MIT economist Abhijit Banerjee on 10% quota|date=9 January 2019|access-date=14 October 2019|newspaper=[[Business Standard]]}}</ref> That same year, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics, together with Esther Duflo and [[Michael Kremer]], "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bandiera |first=Oriana |date=21 Oct 2019 |title=Alleviating poverty with experimental research: The 2019 Nobel laureates |work=VoxEU |publisher=CEPR |url=https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/alleviating-poverty-experimental-research-2019-nobel-laureates |access-date=13 Apr 2023}}</ref>

In October 2025, the [[University of Zurich]] announced that Banerjee and Duflo would be joining the faculty of the UZH Faculty of Business, Economics, and Informatics in July 2026, where they would co-direct the newly established Lemann Center for Development, Education and Public Policy. The center and Banerjee and Duflo's endowed professorships were created following a 26 million franc (US$32.5 million) donation from Swiss-Brazilian billionaire [[Jorge Paulo Lemann|Jorge Paulo Lemann's]] Lemann Foundation. The couple would maintain part-time positions at MIT.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-10 |title=Nobel Laureates Duflo and Banerjee to Join UZH |url=https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2025/Duflo-and-Banerjee-to-Join-UZH.html |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=www.news.uzh.ch |language=en}}</ref>

===Research and work in India===
Banerjee and his co-workers try to measure the effectiveness of actions (such as government programmes) in improving people's lives. For this, they use [[randomized controlled trials]], similar to clinical trials in medical research.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Cho | first = Adrian | title = Economics Nobel honors trio taking an experimental approach to fighting poverty | journal = Science | date = 14 October 2019 | url = https://www.science.org/content/article/economics-nobel-honors-trio-taking-experimental-approach-fighting-poverty | access-date = 16 October 2019 | quote = To bring some science to the fight against poverty, the three researchers borrowed a key tool from clinical medicine: the randomized controlled trial. [They] have used trials to test interventions in education, health, agriculture, and access to credit.| doi = 10.1126/science.aaz7975 | s2cid = 210377958 | url-access = subscription }}</ref> For example, although [[polio vaccination]] is freely available in India, many mothers were not bringing their children for the vaccination drives. Banerjee and Prof. Esther Duflo, also from MIT, tried an experiment in [[Rajasthan]], where they gave a bag of pulses to mothers who vaccinated their children. Soon, the immunization rate went up in the region. In another experiment, they found that learning outcomes improved in schools that were provided with teaching assistants to help students with special needs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/economics-of-poverty/article29683404.ece?homepage=true/|title=Economics of poverty: On Economic Sciences' Nobel |newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=21 October 2019|language=en}}</ref>

Banerjee is a co-founder of [[Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab]] (along with economists [[Esther Duflo]] and [[Sendhil Mullainathan]]).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/indian-american-abhijit-banerjee-and-two-others-win-2019-nobel-economics-prize/articleshow/71579263.cms | title = Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer win 2019 Nobel Economics Prize | date = 14 October 2019 | work = [[The Times of India]]| access-date = 15 October 2019}}</ref> In India he serves on the academic advisory board of Plaksha University, a science and technology university established in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plaksha.org/|title=Plaksha University|website=plaksha.org|language=en-us|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=[[Business Standard]]|title=Plaksha University aims to challenge IITs, reimagines engineering education|quote= The upcoming Plaksha University reimagines engineering education and prepares students for a digitally powered future.|access-date=23 May 2022|location=[[New Delhi]], India| first=Anjuli|last=Bhagarva|date=21 March 2022|url= https://www.business-standard.com/article/education/plaksha-university-aims-to-challenge-iits-reimagines-engineering-education-121031901353_1.html}}</ref>

Banerjee wrote a cookbook in 2021, ''Cooking To Save Your Life'', published by Juggernaut.

==Personal life==
Abhijit Banerjee has been married twice. His first marriage was to [[literary scholar]] Arundhati Tuli Banerjee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mitgsl.mit.edu/people/lecturers-and-emeriti/arundhati-banerjee|title=Global Studies and Languages, Biography: Arundhati Tuli Banerjee|date=18 August 2018|website=MIT|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818205135/http://mitgsl.mit.edu/people/lecturers-and-emeriti/arundhati-banerjee|archive-date=18 August 2018|access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|last=Sengupta
|first=Chiranjib
|title=Who is Abhijit Banerjee, the Indian-American winner of 2019 Economics Nobel?
|url=https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/who-is-abhijit-banerjee-the-indian-american-winner-of-2019-economics-nobel-1.67129695
|website=Gulf News
|publisher=Al Nisr Publishing LLC
|date=14 October 2019
|access-date=6 February 2026
}}</ref> The couple met as childhood friends in [[Kolkata]] and both worked at MIT. They [[divorced]] in 2014,<ref name=":1">{{cite journal
|last=Kvangraven
|first=Ingrid Harvold
|title=Nobel Rebels in Disguise: Assessing the Rise and Rule of the Randomistas
|journal=Review of Political Economy
|volume=32
|issue=3
|year=2020
|pages=463–484
|doi=10.1080/09538259.2020.1798147
|date=October 12, 2020
}}</ref> and their only son died by [[suicide]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Abhijit Banerjee – Biographical
|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/banerjee/biographical/
|website=NobelPrize.org
|publisher=The Nobel Foundation
|access-date=6 February 2026
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|last=Upadhyay
|first=Vineet
|title=Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee a philanthropist too, supports 2 poor school students
|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2019/Oct/16/nobel-laureate-banerjee-a-philanthropist-too-supports-2-poor-school-students-2048533.html
|website=The New Indian Express
|publisher=Express Publications (Madurai) Limited
|date=16 October 2019
|access-date=6 February 2026
}}</ref>

Banerjee's second marriage is to [[economist]] [[Esther Duflo]]. The couple met in 1995 when Duflo was a student in Banerjee's development economics class at MIT.<ref name = "FT">{{cite news|last1=Gapper |first1=John |url=https://www.ft.com/content/81804a1a-6d08-11e1-ab1a-00144feab49a|title=Lunch with the FT: Esther Duflo |work=Financial Times|date= 16 March 2012|access-date=28 April 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181105215905/https://www.ft.com/content/81804a1a-6d08-11e1-ab1a-00144feab49a |archive-date = 5 November 2018}}</ref> They have two children, born in 2012 and 2014, and were married in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/blog/esther-s-baby|title=Esther's baby|publisher=Project Syndicate |date= 23 March 2012|access-date=28 April 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151127153734/https://www.project-syndicate.org/blog/esther-s-baby |archive-date = 27 November 2015}}</ref>

==Publications==
{{Scholia}}

===Books===
In 2019, he wrote together with [[Esther Duflo]] his latest book, "Good Economics for Hard Times," where he discusses possible solutions to a series of current issues such as inequality, climate change, and globalization.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Esther Duflo & Abhijit Banerjee: Good Economics for Hard Times |url=https://www.unswcentreforideas.com/article/esther-duflo-abhijit-banerjee-good-economics-hard-times |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=UNSW Sydney |language=en}}</ref>
* {{cite book |last1= Aghion |first1= Philippe |author-link1= Philippe Aghion |last2= Banerjee |first2= Abhijit |date= 2005 |title= Volatility And Growth |location= Oxford |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]] |isbn= 9780199248612 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last= Banerjee |editor1-first= Abhijit Vinayak |editor2-last= Bénabou |editor2-first= Roland |editor2-link= Roland Bénabou |editor3-last= Mookherjee|editor3-first= Dilip |editor3-link= Dilip Mookherjee |date= 2006 |title= Understanding Poverty |location= Oxford; New York |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]] |isbn= 9780195305203 }}
* {{cite book|last1= Banerjee |first1= Abhijit Vinayak |date= 2005 |title= Making Aid Work |location= Cambridge |publisher= [[MIT Press]] |isbn= 9780262026154 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Banerjee |first1= Abhijit V. |last2= Duflo |first2= Esther |date= 2011 |title= Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty |location= New York |publisher= [[PublicAffairs]] |isbn= 9781610390408 |title-link= Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last= Banerjee |editor1-first= Abhijit Vinayak |editor2-last= Duflo |editor2-first= Esther |date= 2017 |title= Handbook of Field Experiments, Volume 1 |publisher= [[North-Holland Publishing Company]] |isbn= 9780444633248 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last= Banerjee |editor1-first= Abhijit Vinayak |editor2-last= Duflo |editor2-first= Esther |date= 2017 |title= Handbook of Field Experiments, Volume 2 |publisher= [[North-Holland Publishing Company]] |isbn= 9780444640116 }}
* Banerjee, Abhijit Vinayak ( 2019 ). ''A Short History of Poverty Measurements.'' [[Juggernaut Books]].
* {{Cite book |last1=Banerjee |first1=Abhijit V. |title=Good Economics for Hard Times |title-link=Good Economics for Hard Times |last2=Duflo |first2=Esther |publisher=PublicAffairs |year=2019 |isbn=9781541762879}}

== Awards ==

Abhijit Banerjee was awarded the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]] in 2019 along with his two co-researchers [[Esther Duflo]] and [[Michael Kremer]] "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty".<ref>{{Cite news | last1 = Johnson | first1 = Simon | last2 = Pollard | first2 = Niklas | title = Trio wins economics Nobel for science-based poverty fight | publisher = Reuters | date = 14 October 2019 | url = https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1WT17L-OCATP| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191014175647/https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1WT17L-OCATP| url-status = dead| archive-date = 14 October 2019}}</ref>

The press release from the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] noted: "Their experimental research methods now entirely dominate [[development economics]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2019/10/press-economicsciences2019.pdf|title=The Prize in Economic Sciences 2019|publisher=Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Nobel prize|date=14 October 2019|access-date=14 October 2019 }}</ref><ref name=guardianlive>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2019/oct/14/nobel-prize-in-economic-sciences-2019-sveriges-riksbank-live-updates|title=Nobel Prize in Economics won by Banerjee, Duflo and Kremer for fighting poverty|work=The Guardian|date=14 October 2019}}</ref>

The Nobel committee commented:
::"Banerjee, Duflo and their co-authors concluded that students appeared to learn nothing from additional days at school. Neither did spending on textbooks seem to boost learning, even though the schools in [[Kenya]] lacked many essential inputs. Moreover, in the Indian context Banerjee and Duflo intended to study, many children appeared to learn little: in results from field tests in the city of [[Vadodara]] fewer than one in five third-grade students could correctly answer first-grade curriculum math test questions.<ref name=guardianlive />

::"In response to such findings, Banerjee, Duflo and co-authors argued that efforts to get more children into school must be complemented by reforms to improve school quality."<ref name=guardianlive />

The Nobel Prize was a major recognition for their chosen field - Development Economics, and for the use of Randomised Controlled Trials. It evoked mixed emotions in India, where his success was celebrated with nationalistic fervour while his approach and pro-poor focus were seen as a negation of India's current government's right-wing ideology as well as broader development discourse.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Discontents of a Nobel Prize|url=https://thewire.in/economy/the-discontents-of-a-nobel-prize|access-date=2020-09-01|website=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]|language=en}}</ref>

Banerjee's achievement of the Nobel Prize was received with a cold shoulder by the [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], which is in power at the Union level in India, because he was one of the economists that were consulted by [[Rahul Gandhi]] in formulating a basic-income support scheme called [[Nyuntam Aay Yojana|NYAY]], which was the main electoral promise of the [[Indian National Congress]] in the [[2019 Indian general election]]. In response to his criticism of the [[Government of India|Union government]]'s handling of the [[Economy of India|country's economy]], [[Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)|Commerce & Industries Minister]] [[Piyush Goyal]], while speaking on Banerjee's receiving of the Nobel Prize on [[Twitter]], stated that Banerjee's economic theories are based on [[Left-wing politics#Economics|a leftist viewpoint]] and by voting for the BJP, the Indian masses have 'totally rejected' his thoughts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.thewire.in/article/politics/piyush-goyal-nobel-winner-abhijit-banerjee-totally-left-leaning-indians-rejected-his-thinking|title=Piyush Goyal: Nobel Winner Abhijit Banerjee 'Totally Left Leaning, Indians Rejected His Thinking'|website=The Wire}}</ref> BJP leader [[Rahul Sinha]], who had served as the [[Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal|state BJP]] president in Banerjee's native state of [[West Bengal]], downplayed his achievements and alleged [[Anti-Indian sentiment]] on the part of the [[Nobel Committee]] for awarding Banerjee, who married [[Esther Duflo]] a non-[[Indian people|Indian]] person, shortly a year after divorcing his Indian wife.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/is-a-foreign-wife-criterion-for-nobel-prize-after-goyal-bjps-rahul-sinha-mocks-abhijit-banerjee-2351443.html|title=Is Foreign Wife Criterion for Nobel Prize? After Goyal, BJP's Rahul Sinha Mocks Abhijit Banerjee|website=www.news18.com|date=19 October 2019 }}</ref>

He was awarded the [[Doctor of Letters]] ([[Honoris causa|Honoris Causa]]) by the [[University of Calcutta]] in January 2020.<ref name=DLitt_CU>[https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/calcutta-university-confers-doctor-of-letters-degree-to-abhijit-banerjee-2171173 Calcutta University Awards Doctor Of Letters Degree To Abhijit Banerjee]</ref>

Abhijit Banerjee and [[Esther Duflo]] received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] in September 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Amartya Sen]], economist and the first Indian to receive a Nobel prize in the field

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://econ-www.mit.edu/faculty/banerjee/ Abhijit Banerjee's Home Page at MIT] including [http://economics.mit.edu/faculty/banerjee/cv1 his CV with comprehensive lists of awards and publications] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014101026/http://economics.mit.edu/faculty/banerjee/cv1 |date=14 October 2019 }}
* [http://www.povertyactionlab.com Poverty Action Lab]
* {{cite web|last=Roberts|first=Russ|title=Banerjee on Poverty and Poor Economics|url=http://www.econtalk.org/archives/_featuring/abhijit_banerje/#|work=[[EconTalk]]|publisher=[[Library of Economics and Liberty]]|author-link=Russ Roberts|date=11 July 2011}}
* {{Google Scholar id|HLpqZooAAAAJ}}
* [http://www.nber.org/people/Abhijit_Banerjee Publications] at the [[National Bureau of Economic Research]]
* {{Nobelprize}} including the Prize Lecture 8 December 2019 ''Field experiments and the practice of economics''

{{2019 Nobel Prize winners}}
{{Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureates}}
{{GeraldLoebAward Business Book}}
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Abhijit Banerjee - Revision history

Franolaxy at 13:03, 29 April 2026