It was announced yesterday that the Nobel Prize in Economics for 2019 has been awarded to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for “their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”.

Abhijit, who was pleasantly surprised by his win and went on to sleep for a half hour after hearing the news, is everything the BJP stands against. First of all, Ahijit is a product of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) an organization that has been at loggerheads with PM Modi’s Hindu Nationalist BJP.
This association now makes Abhijit the most elite candidate for the ‘anti-national’ tag that has been freely doled out by the party’s jingoistic supporters.

He had also openly criticized the government’s decision of demonetization. In an interview, he’d said that the move was being viewed with ‘bewilderment’ in academic circles.

A alumni of the so called ‘tukde-tukde gang’, the acclaimed economist was one of the 108 social scientists and economists who had signed a letter to the government calling it out for hampering with the GDP statistics and showcasing inflated growth. The letter met with a lot of flak, not just by the government but also a few chartered accountants who claimed it to be ‘motivated’ and ‘devious’.

Not just this, in a supposedly ‘anti-national’ activity as some would say, he had also helped the Indian National Congress (INC) devise the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme. NYAY was a minimum income guarantee scheme that was the flagship social welfare programme of the party. The BJP then took potshots at the cou-founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab that works toward methods of alleviating global poverty.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted in congratulations, but not without taking a jibe at the BJP.

https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1183717485171732481
Being a JNU student, Banerjee has seen his days of unrest. He was thrown into Tihar Jail for ten days, protesting against the then Congress government in the 1980s to reduce government interference in the educational campuses.

Even last week, he fearlessly spoke about the failing health of the Indian economy. While the BJP government keeps singing All Izz Well to the public regarding all problems faced by it and sweeping the economic crisis under the carpet, Banerjee put together some prescriptions to resuscitate the economy. The least he said we could do, was PRAY. 

This surely must’ve come as a hit right in the Centre’s jaw.

There have been some who have been calling his win not the ‘right’ decision.

Though PM Modi extended his congratulations to the trio for their work in poverty alleviation, Twitter users pointed it out to be a very half-hearted greeting.

It is left to see whether the Centre will now gloat on Banerjee’s win for being ‘a person of Indian origin’ or shun away this moment by looking the other way.
 
 

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Black scientists lack role models who look like them. pathdoc/Shutterstock

Every year, the annual October Nobel Prize announcements coincide with Black History Month, which is a painful reminder that of the more than 900 Nobel laureates, only 14 (1.5%) have been black and none in science. Almost all black laureates have been awarded for work in the fields of peace (ten) and literature (three). During that time the closest a black scientist has come to winning has been social scientist Arthur Lewis for his work economics in 1973.

By contrast there have been over 70 Asian laureates, the majority in the sciences, and since 2000 that number has significantly increased. This is partly due to the increasing influence and power of Japanese, Chinese, Korean universities and the success of the Asian American academy. To win a Nobel Prize for science, it helps if you are in a prestigious institution and in a position to lead big expensive science.

The main reason why no black scientist has won a Nobel prize is simply a matter of numbers. Not enough bright young black people are choosing science. Alongside the more limited opportunities for black Africans, black people in Western countries are less likely to study science, less likely to achieve a top degree and less likely to progress to scientific careers.

To even be considered as a possible Nobel laureate you must become a principal investigator or a professor in a leading institution. Yet, once a black science graduate makes it to the first rung on the academic ladder they face the same challenges as any other black academic around access to promotion and access to resources. For example, we know black scientists in the US are less likely to receive funding for health research.

Black people are less likely to study or work in science. Shutterstock

To become a professor you need support from your institution and to find at least four existing professors at other institutions who will support your application and certify that you are a leader in your field with an international reputation. This requires building large internal and external networks. For many reasons, not enough black academics work in institutions where such reputations and networks are made, significantly reducing the possibility of being promoted to professors.

This is also something of a circular problem. It seems highly likely the perception that black people don’t reach the highest level in science has in some ways affected the success of black people in science. Research suggests female role models can encourage women to pursue careers in science, and the same seems likely to be true for black people. Having a black Nobel laureate would inspire more black students to become black professors, which in turn would inspire more young black people to study science.

During my own undergraduate studies, many courses began with a professor describing the inspirational work of a Nobel laureate, who was usually a white man. These individuals were elevated to superhuman status, people we should aspire to be like because their work had transcended the field. This clearly appealed to me as it reinforced my desire to become a scientist.
But at the same time, as a black student, achieving that level of success or even anything along that path appeared far more distant as there was never a black laureate on the list. Although I was not deterred by this fact, I have no doubt it had an impact, not just on me but on my fellow white students and more importantly my tutors, and later my university employers and those awarding research grants. A black Nobel laureate would have made it easier for them to see me as a potential high achiever and treat me accordingly.
 

Why we need action

More black scientists wouldn’t just be a victory for equality but would benefit wider society. For example, conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many others have a higher incidence in people of black or African heritage. Yet research is often biased towards studying white people. More black scientists, especially in leading positions, could bring greater focus, understanding and different insights to investigating these conditions. They could also help lead the decolonising of science, again with wider advantages to society.

So how can we increase the chances of a black scientist becoming a Nobel laureate? We cannot wait for Africa to have the same political and economic power as Asia. Looking at the 49 women Nobel Prize winners, of which only 21 were scientists and only three in physics, we see a similar challenge. But with the advent of many successful campaigns backed by political action to increase the number of women in science, particularly in the leading institutions and in leading positions, the number of women laureates is likely to increase significantly. If we want more black scientists and eventually Nobel laureates, then similar direct strategic action is urgently needed.

Winston Morgan, Reader in Toxicology and Clinical Biochemistry, University of East London

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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