University Offers Oxford Economist Joint Economics, Philosophy Position

An Indian scholar known for his interdisciplinary approach to the social sciences has been offered a joint tenure position in the Economics and Philsophy departments.

Amartya Sen, currently a professor of political economy at Oxford and President of the International Economics Association, said yesterday that he has not decided whether he will accept the offer.

Stanford, Texas and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study have all offered Sen similar tenure bids, he said. He said he expects to receive bids from Yale and Berkeley in the near future.

Sen's work includes the philosophic presupposition of economic analysis, social choice theory, and economic development problems in third world countries.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Sen said that the strength of both the Department of Economics and the Department of Philosophy will factor into his consideration of Harvard.

Sen, who was in Palo Alto, Ca. yesterday visiting Stanford, said, "I find many things attractive about Harvard especially the quality of the intellect there. The programs and academic opportunities here would be quite stimulating."

Harvard faculty members said yesterday that they hoped the University would succeed in luring Sen to Cambridge.

Wells Professor of Political Economy Robert Dorfman called Sen a "deep, fruitful, and insightful leader in bringing together philosophers and economists." Dorfman said, "A lot of people are trying to get him, and we hope we do."

Professor of Economics Eric S. Maskin said, "Everyone is pleased that he might come. We really don't know if he will, but he has taken the offer seriously enough to investigate living arrangements."

A fourth year graduate student in the Department of Economics, David Corbett said that he has Sen lecture and praised the scholar's teaching abilities. Corbett said, "Sen is not your typical orthodox economist, and he is someone the department really needs."

Philosophy Department faculty members also praised Sen's scholarship. "He is a terrific scholar", Professor of Philosophy Thomas M. Scanlon said, "and on his merits he would be splendid."

The position would be the only joint tenureship in economics and philosophy. Under the proposal, Sen would split his time evenly among the two areas.