India in the Global World
The programme on India in the Global World began in 2008, and is funded by the Ford
Foundation (India) and coordinated by Amartya Sen. The focus of the project
- an assessment of 'India in the Modern World' - will be on the relevance of
India's past for its present, and the implications of those connections in
scrutinizing the nature, reach and strength of the reassessment of India's
changing global image. Amartya Sen's work will initially be concerned with
completing work concerned with justice, started under the foundations of
democracy project. The work will cover broader issues of ethics and
substantial sections on democracy, but goes beyond them into an assessment
of the demands of justice, to which the need for democracy can be attached.
The emerging book, The Idea of Justice, was published in July 2009. A
second study to be started will be a project on epistomology and decision
theory relevance in modern economics, social sciences and legal analysis
(especially what is called "Law and Economics").
Amartya Sen chaired a Commonwealth Commission on promoting peace through civil means. The resulting report 'Civil Paths to Peace: Report of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding' was published in 2007, when Amartya Sen on behalf of the Commission reported to the Heads of the Governments of the Commonwealth countries (the CHOGM) in Kampala, Uganda. Civil Paths to Peace contains the analyses and findings of the Commission, established in response to the 2005 request of Commonwealth Heads of Government for the Commonwealth Secretary-General to 'explore initiatives to promote mutual understanding and respect among all faiths and communities in the Commonwealth.' Amartya Sen has continued to work with the Commonwealth Commission in a follow-up and promotion of the report's findings.
Amartya Sen edited and contributed to a book on Peace and Democratic Society. His chapter explores ideas around 'organised violence' (such as war, genocide and terrorism) and violence against the individual. This introductory essay draws upon the findings of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, which was chaired by Amartya Sen. The Commonwealth Commission's report - 'Civil Paths to Peace' - forms the second part of the book.