Alice Amsden Economist and author Country: USA

Biography of Alice Amsden

Alice Amsden, an economist and author, was a researcher in the field of unorthodox political economy. She was a professor of political economy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the MIT Center for International Studies.

Alice Amsden was born in 1943. She earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a PhD from the London School of Economics. Her career as an economist began at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Amsden taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, Barnard College at Columbia University, Harvard Business School, and The New School in New York before becoming a professor at MIT in 1994.

In addition to her teaching and writing, Amsden served as a consultant for the World Bank, OECD, and various other organizations associated with the United Nations. In 2002, she was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize by the Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE). That same year, she was named one of the "50 Most Influential People" by the scientific American magazine for her hypothesis that economic leveling would negatively impact developing countries seeking to industrialize.

In 2009, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Amsden to the UN Committee for Development Policy, a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council, for a three-year term. The committee, consisting of 24 members, is responsible for providing information and independent advice to the council on emerging issues related to intersectoral development and international cooperation for development.

Amsden wrote several books on the industrialization of developing countries. Her work emphasizes the importance of the state as a mediator and leader in economic development. She also considers knowledge as a crucial factor in economic growth. Among her notable works are "Asia's Next Giant: South Korea and Late Industrialization" and "The Rise of the Rest." In the first book, Amsden focuses on the development of South Korea and uses the thesis of late industrialization to discuss Taiwan, Brazil, India, and Japan, although the latter country is largely seen as unique. In the second book, Amsden compares the experiences of a number of developing countries, primarily in East Asia and Latin America. Drawing on Gerschenkron's insights, Amsden defines "late industrialization" as a distinct form of industrialization that is valuable for those interested in considering the prospects of material progress in developing countries. Amsden reminds us that during the first industrial revolution in late 18th-century Britain, and then, 100 years later, during the second industrial revolution in Germany and the United States, all participating countries generated new products and processes. In the same period, in other countries where industrialization did not begin until the 20th century, nothing new emerged. However, late industrialization did contribute to increased profits and transformation of production structures through borrowed technologies.

Alice Amsden passed away on March 15, 2012, at her home in Cambridge at the age of 68.