Jean Dreze is a Belgian-born Indian development economist and activist who was arrested and released in Jharkhand

Jean Drèze is a Belgian-born Indian development economist and activist arrested in Garwa District Jharkhand. He is arrested for organising a meeting without permission from district authorities.

Speaking to media persons after being released, Mr. Dreze said that he was denied permission by the district authorities for organising a meeting under Bishunpur police station limits.

His work in India has been studying several developmental issues like hunger, famine, gender inequality, child health and education, and the NREGA. He had conceptualized and drafted the first version of the NREGA

His co-authors include Nobel laureate in economics Amartya Sen, with whom he has written on famine, Nicholas Stern, with whom he has written on policy reform when market prices are distorted, and Nobel laureate in economics Angus Deaton. He is currently an honorary Professor at the Delhi School of Economics, and Visiting Professor at the Department of Economics, Ranchi University. He was a member of the National Advisory Council of India in both first and second term, but only for a year each time.  He excused himself after the first year both times.

Marriage : Bela Bhatia, an academic and human right activist from India. He currently lives in Ranchi.

Education : Jean Drèze taught at the London School of Economics in the 1980s, his only full-time post, and at the Delhi School of Economics, and had been Visiting Professor at the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad. Presently, he is an Honorary Chair Professor of the "Planning and Development Unit" created by the Planning Commission, Government of India, in the Department of Economics, University of Allahabad, India. He has made wide-ranging contributions to development economics and public economics, with special reference to India.