Spanish award honors Turkish economist wary of globalization

MADRID (AP) - Turkish economist Dani Rodrik, whose studies have warned about the flip side of economic globalization, will be this year's recipient of the Princess of Asturias Social Sciences Award, Spanish organizers announced Thursday.

According to the jury, Rodrik, 62, 'œhas strengthened the rigor in the analysis of the dynamics of the globalization of international economic relations'ť and his conclusions have made the economic system 'œmuch more sensitive to the needs of society.'ť

The Istanbul-born Rodrik's career has been linked from its onset to Harvard University, where he currently holds the post of Professor of International Political Economy at its John F. Kennedy School of Government.

A supporter of free trade but a critic of what he has called 'œhyperglobalization,'ť Rodrik has published more than twenty books on political economy, some of them sparking intense debate among academics.

In 'œStraight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy,'ť published two years ago as relations between China and the United States became ensnared in trade disputes, he warned about how global free trade, for all its benefits, inevitably ends up depressing some industries and communities.

The Princess of Asturias Foundation, which organizes the annual award, has as its honorary president the heir to the Spanish throne - currently the 14-year-old Princess Leonor.

The Social Sciences award is one of eight in different fields handed out annually. Recipients receive 50,000 euros ($56,400) at a ceremony held in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo in October.