Krishna Bharadwaj (21 August 1935 – 8 March 1992) was an Indian

Neo-Ricardian The neo-Ricardian school is an economic school of thought that derives from the close reading and interpretation of David Ricardo by Piero Sraffa, and from Sraffa's critique of neoclassical economics as presented in his ''The Production of Comm ...

economist mainly known for her contributions to the economic development theory and the revival of the ideas of classical economics. She believed that economic theory should be based on concepts which can be observed and be amenable to measurement in reality.

Early life and education

Bharadwaj was born on 21 August 1935 in

Karwar Karwar is a seaside city, ''taluka'', and administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district lying at the mouth of the Kali river on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state, India. Karwar is a popular tourist destination and with a city urba ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, into a Konkani

Saraswat Brahmin The Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara (coastal region of Karnataka) and Kerala in South India. The word ''Saraswat'' is deriv ...

family. She was the youngest of the six children of M. S. Chandravarkar, a teacher in a local college, and his wife Shantabai. The family shifted to Belgaum in 1939, and Bhardwaj was schooled in that city. She learnt Hindustani classical music and won many local competitions by the age of fifteen. In 1952, after her father's death, the family moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, where Bharadwaj attended Ruia college and graduated with a first class degree in economics. She then took a master's degree and then completed a Ph.D in

Transport Economics Transport economics is a branch of economics founded in 1959 by American economist John R. Meyer that deals with the allocation of resources within the transport sector. It has strong links to civil engineering. Transport economics differs from ...

in 1960. Her critical orientation towards the Economic Theory began with her involvement in development theory as a doctoral student.

Career

In 1960,

Piero Sraffa Piero Sraffa (5 August 1898 – 3 September 1983) was an influential Italian economist who served as lecturer of economics at the University of Cambridge. His book ''Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities'' is taken as founding the neo- ...

's Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities was published. Bharadwaj was asked by the then editor Sachin Chaudhuri of Economic Weekly to review the book. She solved this task brilliantly, which then formed the prelude to her further scientific work. In 1961, Bharadwaj joined the

Center for International Studies An Institute of International Studies or Institute for International Studies is a type of research center that focuses on international studies, international relations, or area studies. It is often, though not always, part of a university or coll ...

to work on problems of planning and development with critical perceptions. In 1967, she went to Cambridge as a visiting fellow and came under the influence of Piero Sraffa and going on to become one of his closest disciples. Bharadwaj promoted the teaching of different economic approaches in Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP) at

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

(JNU), such as classical, Marxian, Keynesian as well as Walrasian. She held the Chair of Economics at the university. She edited the collected papers of Marxist economist Pierro Sraffa at the

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 ...

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. She contributed to numerous journals and forums and is well known as a leading light among development economists.

Personal life

The activist and trade unionist,

Sudha Bharadwaj Sudha Bharadwaj (born November 1, 1961) is a trade-unionist, activist and lawyer who has lived and worked in Chhattisgarh for over three decades. She is an active member of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakrta Committee). She was am ...

, is her daughter.

Books and papers

* Collection of essays from 1989 were printed in Australian Economic Papers, and the Cambridge Journal of Economics. * Authored Labour Markets, Employment Policies and the Dynamics of Development. * Authored Production Conditions in Indian Agriculture: A Study Based on Farm Management Surveys (Department of Applied Economics Occasional Papers) * Authored Accumulation, Exchange and Development: Essays on the Indian Economy * Edited Perspectives on Capitalism: Marx, Keynes, Schumpeter and Weber with Sudipta Kaviraj. * Themes in Value and Distribution: Classical Theory Reappraised. London 1989. * Essays in Honor of Piero Sraffa. (together with Bertram Schefold ). 2nd Ed. Routledge: London 1992.

References

External links

Collection of essays at the Economic and Political Weekly
*

Alessandro Roncaglia Alessandro Roncaglia (1947) is an Italian economist. He was professor of economics at the Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rom ...

: Krishna Bharadwaj, 1935-1992. In Memoriam. Metroeconomica. Vol. 44 Issue 3 Page 187 October 1993
The Political Economy of Agrarian Change (review)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bharadwaj, Krishna 1935 births Indian women economists Transport economists 20th-century Indian economists 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers Indian columnists Indian women columnists Indian women academics Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni Academic staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University 1992 deaths Women writers from Karnataka People from Karwar 20th-century Indian women scientists Scientists from Karnataka Women scientists from Karnataka Educators from Karnataka Women educators from Karnataka