Joseph Dutens

Joseph -Michel Dutens (* October 15, 1765 in Tours; † August 6, 1848 ) was a French civil engineer and economist.

He received his education at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, a French elite school for the bridge and road, and made his subsequent career in this profession. His most significant achievement as an engineer was the construction of the navigation channel Canal de Berry in 1809 and 1841.

In the field of economics, he was a follower of the school of François Quesnay and the Physiocrats. He published in 1835 his Philosophie de l' économie politique and in 1839 a member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques, one of the state scientific academies of France, appointed.

Named after him, Joseph Price Dutens is awarded by the Academy today every 5 years to reward scientific papers that deal with the economy, its history and its practical applications.

Joseph -Michel Dutens is the nephew of the writer Louis Dutens.