Gilbert Etienne

Gilbert Étienne (22 June 1928 – 17 May 2014) was a French economist, author and professor. Étienne is best known for his extensive publishing on economic subjects. 
Early life.
Étienne was born in Neuchâtel-Urtiére, France. His first studies were in law, and he received a degree from the University of Neuchâtel in 1951. Following this, he studied at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) in Paris. As a student of Inalco he spent a year doing doctoral research (from 1952 to 1953) in India and Pakistan. In 1955 he defended his doctoral thesis "India: economy and population", which was published the following year by .
Academic career.
After his graduation in 1955, he took a two-year trip to India, where he worked as a representative of the Swiss watch company Favre-Leuba. On his return to Switzerland in 1958 he became a lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International Studies (IUHEI) in Geneva. He became a professor at the same establishment in 1964, after the publication of his book "The Chinese Way". He stayed at IUHEI until the end of his career in 1994. From 1979 to 2002 he was the president of the Swiss Association for development aid, "Frères de nos frères".
Death and legacy.
Étienne died on 17 May 2014 in Geneva. A prolific author, Étienne published over 40 books and 100 journal articles in his lifetime. His final book, "Indian Villages Achievements and Alarm Bells, 1952–2012", was published as a posthumous tribute in 2014.