Oral history interview with Surendra J. Patel, 1999

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Name: Patel, Surendra J (Interviewee); Jolly, Richard (Interviewer)
Title: Oral history interview with Surendra J. Patel, 1999
Abstract: Born 1923 in Southern Gujarat, India. Education: Commerce College at Ahmedabad, India; Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania. Career: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Economic Commission for Europe; Economic Commission for Africa; Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East; Director of Technology for UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); senior adviser at World Institute of Development Economics Research (WIDER) . Themes: education and political consciousness of parents; participation in Indian independence movement; visa restrictions from U.S.; effects of geography on economic development; idea of rapidly narrowing economic distance between developed and developing nations; relationship of global economic systems to individual economies; effect of domestic policies on economic performance; importance of indigenous knowledge in development; relationship between technology and economic development; least-developed countries (LDCs); impact of Indian Patent Laws; "brain drain" for developing world; gradual loss of influence of UNCTAD in 1980s; pharmaceuticals and intellectual property rights; resurgence of conservative economic policies in developed nations; slowdown in developing countries' growth rate; North-South development divide; perceived recent neglect of core economic issues in the UN; need for greater equality between developed and developing countries
Collection Name: United Nations intellectual history project (UNIHP)
Subjects: Economists; International economic relations; Economic development; Income distribution; Technology transfer; Brain drain--Developing countries; Nationalism--History.--India; India Economic conditions 1947-; India Economic policy; Developing countries Economic conditions; Developing countries Foreign economic relations; Patel, Surendra J; United Nations Officials and employees; United Nations History; United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; World Institute for Development Economics Research
Format: oral histories; sound recordings
Genre: Interviews
Date: 1999

Note (Biographical): Economist
Note: Interviewed by Richard Jolly on November 18, 1999
Note (Provenance): Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Gift, 2009
Language: English
Library Location: Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content
Catalog Record: 13684727
Also In: Oral History Archives at Columbia; Time-Based Media; Time-Based Media
Persistent URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-0hk0-fj03
Related URLs: Available digital content for this interview.