Memoirs of an Unregulated Economist

Paper $26.00 ISBN: 9780226774404 Published March 2003 For sale in North America only

In this witty and modest intellectual autobiography, George J. Stigler gives us a fascinating glimpse into the little-known world of economics and the people who study it. One of the most distinguished economists of the twentieth century, Stigler was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1982 for his work on public regulation. He also helped found the Chicago School of economics, and many of his fellow Chicago luminaries appear in these pages, including Fredrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Ronald Coase, and Gary Becker. Stigler's appreciation for such colleagues and his sense of excitement about economic ideas past and present make his Memoirs both highly entertaining and highly educational.

Table of Contents

Contents
Review Quotes

Contents

Preface to the Series
Author's Preface

Prologue Are Economists Good People?
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Chapter 2 University Life
Chapter 3 Economics in Depression and in War
Chapter 4 The Strategy of Science: The National Bureau
Chapter 5 Eureka!
Chapter 6 Monopoly
Chapter 7 Political Regulation of Economic Life
Chapter 8 The Economist as Expert
Chapter 9 The Apprentice Conservative
Chapter 10 The Chicago School
Chapter 11 Academic Freedom and Responsibility

Review Quotes

Milton Friedman

“Stigler’s memoirs are a gem: in style, in wit, and above all, in substance, they reflect accurately his own engaging personality and his extraordinarily diverse contributions to our science.”

James C. Cooper | Business Week

“Should be read by anyone considering a career in economics, but Stigler’s writing is so accessible that his discussions will whet even a casual interest.”--, <I>

David Warsh | Boston Globe

“Beautifully written, it will appeal to anyone seeking a better understanding of what technical economics is all about. It is full of stories about powerful minds, courageous intellects and tightly focused issues.”--, <I>

Robert Krulwich | New York Times Book Review

“A loving and fierce defense of economics as a science.”

Robert B. Reich | Wall Street Journal

“Mr. Stigler is at his best as a historian of economic thought, great and small. . . . He also provides abundant insight into the anthropology of the tribe of academic economists in the latter 20th-century U.S., bizarre as it may be. Interspersed in all that is a simple autobiography of a gentle man and his lifelong love affair with the dismal science. Anyone even on the edge of economic romance will find here a refreshing bouquet.”

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Biography and Letters

Economics and Business: Economics--General Theory and Principles

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