Ajit Singh ( – ) was an Indian-born Professor of Economics at
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. One of the world's most renowned Indian-born economists, Singh made fundamental academic contributions in the areas of modern business enterprise, de-industrialisation in advanced and emerging economies and the globalisation of financial and product markets.
Early life and education
Singh was born in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
in pre-partition India, and graduated with a B.A. in mathematics and economics from
Punjab University in 1958. He obtained an M.A. in economics from
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
in 1960, and a PhD in economics at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1970. One of his life-long friendships was with former Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
. He had been a student of Dr. Manmohan Singh as an undergraduate at Punjab University.
Career
Singh was appointed as a member of the faculty of economics at
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1965 and became a fellow of
Queens' College
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...
.
Professor Singh published 17 books and monographs, and more than 200 research papers, of which nearly 100 are in refereed economic journals, including leading ones such as the Economic Journal, The Review of Economic Studies, European Economic Review, and the Journal of Economic Literature. Most of Singh's non-journal articles have also been peer-reviewed and included in important collections of handbooks produced by leading publishers such as Oxford University Press, or are included in books edited by Nobel Prize-winning economists such as
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher, who since 1972 has taught and worked in the United Kingdom and the United States. Sen has made contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, econom ...
,
Joseph Stiglitz
Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (; born February 9, 1943) is an American New Keynesian economist, a public policy analyst, and a full professor at Columbia University. He is a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2001) and the Joh ...
and
Oliver Williamson
Oliver Eaton Williamson (September 27, 1932 – May 21, 2020) was an American economist, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and recipient of the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, which he shared with Elinor Ostro ...
.
After his mandatory retirement at the age of 67 as Professor of Economics at Cambridge, Singh was appointed Director of Research at the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance (CERF). Since then, Singh was actively engaged in the lecturing and teaching programme of the Centre for Development Studies in Cambridge. In 2011, Singh was the fifth holder of the prestigious Tun Ismail Ali Chair at the
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...
. In 2012, he was appointed to the highly prestigious Chair, named after the current Indian Prime Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
. He has been a senior economic adviser to the governments of Mexico and Tanzania and has advised almost all of the UN developmental agencies, including the
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
,
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
,
UNIDO
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in e ...
, the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
and the
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of t ...
. Singh was elected an Academician of the UK
Academy of Social Sciences
The Academy of Social Sciences is a representative body for social sciences in the United Kingdom. The Academy promotes social science through its sponsorship of the Campaign for Social Science, its links with Government on a variety of matters, a ...
in 2004. In 2008, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Department of Economics of
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
, Washington, D.C., and in November 2010 he received the
Glory of India Award
The India International Friendship Society (IIFS) is a private voluntary organisation based in New Delhi, India. Its stated aim is to strengthen the ties between India and its expatriate community in the hope of using the resources and potential o ...
for ‘individual excellence, excellent performance and outstanding contribution for the progress of the nation and worldwide’.
Personal life
Singh was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
in 1982, when he was just 42.
His first marriage, to Jo Bradley, ended in divorce in 2012. Singh was the brother-in-law of the distinguished Oxford development economist
Sanjaya Lall
Sanjaya Lall (13 December 1940 – 18 June 2005) was a development economist and Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford. Lall's research interests included the impact of foreign direct investment in developing countries, the economic ...
.
Singh died at his home in
Newnham, Cambridge on 23 June 2015. He was survived by sisters Parveen and Rani as well as Ann Zammit, a longtime collaborator who in his final days became his second wife.
References
External links
Cambridge University Centre for Business Research Profile Birmingham Business School Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Ajit
20th-century Indian economists
Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge
1940 births
2015 deaths
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Howard University alumni
People from Lahore