Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Surendra J. Patel, 1999
| Creator: | Patel, Surendra J. | Project: | United Nations intellectual history project (UNIHP).
(see all project interviews) | Phys. Desc. : | transcript: 66 pages sound file : digital preservation master, WAV files (96 kHz, 24 bit) | | Location: | Columbia Center for Oral History | | Full CLIO record >> |
Biographical NoteEconomist
Scope and ContentsBorn 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
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