The Centre for Development Studies (CDS) celebrates its Foundation Day on 20 October 2014. Set up in 1971 by legendary economist Dr K N Raj, CDS has created a niche for itself in the pursuit of cutting edge research on economic development within an inter-disciplinary framework. In his welcome address, the Director of CDS Professor Amit Shovon Ray highlighted the Centre’s glorious history of academic achievements over the last four decades, beginning with the path breaking research in the 1970s on the Kerala model of development that contributed to a paradigm shift in the global scholarship on economic development.
CDS always encourage training as an integral part of its academic activities along with research, offering MPhil and PhD degrees affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi and the University of Kerala. In 2012, CDS launched a new MA programme in Applied Economics affiliated to JNU and the foundation day celebration is combined with a graduation ceremony for the first batch of MA students of CDS. The MA programme coordinator Professor Sunil Mani reported highlights of this unique MA programme in economics that aims at providing a rigorous training in theory, tools and methods for applied economic analysis, with a special focus on issues of economic development and mentioned about the Joan Robinson Prize and the MG Kanbur Prize for meritorious performance. Both prizes this year were bagged by Ms. Greeshma.
After the graduation ceremony, the Foundation Day lecture was delivered by distinguished economist Professor Amiya Kumar Bagchi, on “Rise of East Asia and Kerala: Along the path of K N Raj”. His thought provoking lecture was posited against the backdrop of KN Raj’s Kerala Model of development. Bagchi compared India’s development trajectory with that of East Asia and highlighted contemporary political economy issues surrounding India’s development experience. He concluded that recovery of policy autonomy is a must for spreading the vision of Kerala Model all across India.
Third Foundation Day Lecture by Professor Amiya Kumar Bagchi