Sen named Chevalier
Amartya Sen, the winner of the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, has been decorated with the title of Chevalier in France’s Legion of Honor. Currently the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and a professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University, Sen has been honored for his contributions to the measurement of economic progress in France. The Legion of Honor, created in 1802 by Napoleon, is France’s highest public decoration, and though normally reserved for French nationals who have served the country in a military or civil capacity, the title is also given to noncitizens as recognition of an extraordinary service to France. Upon the request of former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, Sen served as chair adviser of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress. This commission transformed the way in which French policy decisions are formed by underlining the importance of measuring progress by more...