Professor Raaj Sah has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, by the government of Japan on behalf of its Emperor. Professor Sah is a Distinguished Fellow at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
He has been honoured for his contributions to the analysis of Japan’s economic and financial policies, including tax reforms, public revenues, deficits, and redistribution. The honour was announced in autumn.
Professor Sah is a gold medal PGP of the Institute’s class of 1973-75. Around those years, his other associations with the institute began. For example, forgoing coveted pecuniary opportunities, he lived in rural Rajasthan and participated, with his mentor Professor Ravi Matthai, in the setting up of the Jawaja experiment. This experiment was a precursor to modern-day grassroot NGOs. He also participated in the setting up of the institute’s journal Vikalpa, and proposed its name. Since then, his associations with IIM-A have continued to evolve in many dimensions.
Professor Errol D'Souza, the Director-in-Charge of IIM-A, said, “We are delighted that Professor Sah has been bestowed this high honour. His ideas have impacted many societies, not just Japan and India. He is a fine intellectual who understands the rootedness of traditions and yet is imaginative about how societies may evolve towards actualising higher realisations of livelihoods. It is a proud moment for the institute and for India.”
Sah is Professor of Public Policy and Economics, University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy. He has previously held faculty positions, in business, economics, and public policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. He has received many honours for his teaching, including three at the University of Chicago.
He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Before IIM-A, he studied at Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani and St Xavier’s College Ranchi.
He grew up in a village near Vaishali, where Buddha is supposed to have delivered his last sermon. His interest in Japan began in those early stages of his life. Beginning with an extended journey in 1979, he has traveled to Japan over 20 times, including as scholar at the Ministry of Finance Japan.