Author: Irwin Collier

Columbia. Seligman Recommends Three Harvard Colleagues for English Visiting Professorship, 1925

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-09-03

The Sir George Watson Chair of American History, Literature, and Institutions was administered by the Anglo-American Society for a distinguished visiting professor to lecture in several English universities. The inaugural lecture was given in 1921 by Viscount Bryce. That lecture, “The Study of American History” was published along with an account of the establishment of the Sir George Watson Chair. The first full course of lectures, “Economic Problems of Democracy” was given the following year by the economist and President-Emeritus of Yale University, Arthur T. Hadley.

From the following exchange of letters between the president of Columbia University and economist, E.R.A. Seligman, we harvest Seligman’s ranking of four economics professors (three from Harvard and one from Johns Hopkins) regarded by Seligman to dominate the leading specialists in American economic history for this prestigious visiting position in “American History, Literature, and Institutions”. I have been unable at this time to determine who was actually appointed in 1925 or 1926

______________________________

Columbia President Butler Requests E.R.A. Seligman to Propose Names of Distinguished Economists for a British Chair in American History

Columbia University
in the City of New York
President’s Room

January 6, 1925

Professor E. R. A. Seligman
Department of Economics

My dear Professor Seligman

The electors to the Watson Chair of American History in British Universities contemplate acting upon a suggestion of mine and naming in the not distant future a competent American scholar to present the subject of our economic history and development. The topics that I have in mind include the migration West and the settlement of the large land areas there, the development of government aid in internal improvements, the building up of the railway and other transportation systems, the struggles over the tariff, the development, both industrially and geographically, of our manufacturing system, and the growth and character of foreign trade. There would, of course, also have to be treatment, although in general fashion, of the high points of our financial history.

Can you out of your wide acquaintance with American economists suggest a few names that I might send to the electors for consideration when they come to make their choice? The man ought to have enough standing at home to make his appointment abroad significant. He ought to be a good lecturer before a general academic audience and he ought to have a sufficiently philosophic cast of mind to avoid plunging into a morass of facts and statistics when what is needed is philosophic exposition of principles, happenings and trends of events.

With cordial regards an all the compliments of the season, I am

Faithfully yours
[signed]
Nicholas Murray Butler

______________________________

Copy of Seligman’s Response to Butler’s Request

January 7, 1925.

President Nicholas Murray Butler,
Columbia University.

My dear President Butler:

In reply to your letter of January 6^th I would say that the professed economic historians are not of the very first rank. The best of them are Clive Day, of Yale, who is, I am afraid, a bit ineffective as a speaker; E. L. Bogart, of Illinois, who is a much more impressive personality and who is a fine fellow, although not a scholar of the first rank; and, finally, Professor Gras, of Minnesota, who is a younger man. It would be far better, it seems to me, to choose some prominent economist, many of whom either give courses in economic history as an incidental matter or who may be assumed to have a competent knowledge of American history. In this rank I should put first Professor E. L.(sic) Gay, of Harvard, with whom no doubt you are acquainted, and who was formerly editor of the Evening Post; then either Ripley or A. A. Young, of Harvard, would do very well, as they are both men of distinction and personality. Other men, like Hollander of Johns Hopkins, occasionally gives courses similar to the one that I give every few years, on economic and fiscal history. Taking it all in all, the order of my choice would be Gay, Young, Ripley, Hollander.

If you desire more detailed information about any of these and their characteristics or standing, I should be glad to talk it over with you.

Faithfully yours,
[E.R.A. Seligman]

Source: Columbia University Archives. Edwin Robert Anderson Seligman Collection, Box 37, Folder “Box 100, Seligman, Columbia 1924-1930”.

Image Source: E.R.A. Seligman portrait in American Economic Review, 1943.

Tags Bogart, DayC, Gay, Gras, Hadley, Hollander, Ripley, Seligman, Young

Economists Funny Business M.I.T.

M.I.T. Analysis in Wonderland. Graduate Student Skit, 1975

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-09-02

The annual skit party was a huge social event in the economics department at MIT in the 1970s and presumably before and after. Each of the cohorts was expected to write and perform its own skit in which economics and economics professors were the principal targets. Faculty written skits were often a part of the festivities. Here in this posting for the historical record, a parody of Alice in Wonderland set in the Wonderland Institute of Technology in 1975 written by the first-year class of 1974-75. But first I provide a list of my classmates with links to some biographical information where I was able to find something…whatever happened to Paul Krugman? Not everybody participated in the preparation and performance so there remains a presumption of comic innocence for the majority of the following.

In 1978 many of this cohort were involved in Casablank, a parody of the movie Casablanca. That script has been transcribed and posted at the highlighted link.

__________________

First Year Economics Graduate Students, 1974-75
M.I.T. (Spring 1975)

Abel, Andrew B.
Aspe, Pedro A.
Begg, David K. H.
Beleza, Luis Miguel C. P.
Bookstaber, Richard M.
Collier, Irwin L., Jr.
Datcher, Linda P.
Daula, Thomas V.
Desormeaux, Jorge J.
Donnelly, John F.
Duarte, Virgulino
Klorza, Santiago C.
Feiger, Margaret C.
Frankel, Jeffrey A.
Geehan, Randall R.
Giavazzi, Francesco
Halpern, Janice D.[sic, H.?]
Helms, L. Jay
Hill, Raymond D.
Krasker, William S.
Krugman, Paul R.
Malveaux, Julianne M.
Mincy, Ronald B.
Mooney, Patricia D.
Mork, Knut A.
Nagatani, Hiroaki
Neuer, Margaret R.
Smith, David A. [Alton]
Startz, Richard
Winicker, Mary K.

Source: M.I.T. Archives. MIT Department of Economics Records, Box 1, Folder “Women & Minorities”.

__________________

While transcribing this skit from my own days as a graduate student, I discovered how much I had indeed forgotten. The mapping of many a character to the corresponding faculty member was no longer obvious to me. I have added a listing of Dramatis Personae with annotations based on the combined incomplete memories of myself, Jeff Frankel, Dick Startz, Andy Abel, Ray Hill and Jay Helms. Perhaps some long-lost member of the troupe will stumble across this page and help me fill in the blanks, especially with respect to casting (20 characters!).

______________________

ANALYSIS IN WONDERLAND

Composed and performed by the first-year economics graduate students at M.I.T.
Second term, 1974-75

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Narrator: played by Richard Bookstaber
Alice (Representative Graduate Student): played by Margaret (née Agnew) Feiger
Advisor (presumably the actual first-year advisor, Peter Diamond): actor unknown
Cheshire Cat (Jagdish Bhagwati): actor unknown
Micro: (Hal Varian?): actor unknown
Macro: (Stanley Fischer?): actor unknown
Quick & Dirty (Martin Weitzman): actor unknown
Palmer (Palmer, an actual Sloan School graduate student): actor unknown
Dormouse (Evsey Domar?): actor unknown
Mad Hatter (Charles Kindleberger): played by Jeffrey Frankel
March Hare (Robert Engle?): actor unknown
Tweedledee (Jerry Hausman): possibly played by Jay Helms
Tweedledum (Robert Hall): possibly played by Bud Collier
Knave of Hearts (Franco Modigliani): actor unknown
Knave of Clubs (Arthur Burns): actor unknown
Knave of Spades (William McChesney Martin): actor unknown
Knave Alan (Allan Greenspan): actor unknown
King (President Gerald Ford): actor unknown
Joker (Paul Samuelson): possibly played by Ray Hill
White Rabbit (Robert Bishop?): actor unknown

ACT I

Narrator:	The first year class presents… Analysis in Wonderland, a tragicomedy in four unnatural acts. Any resemblance to faculty members living or otherwise should be inferred from the initials worn by the characters. Act I, Alice enters Wonderland and meets the Cheshire cat.
(Alice is sitting at a table reading Samuelson’s Economics.)
Narrator:	One day Alice was reading a book, but she was getting very bored, for the book had no conversations or jokes in it.
Alice:	And what is the use of a book without conversations or jokes?
Narrator:	And so she began to drift off. And eventually she noticed that there was someone on the other side of the desk…
Advisor:	Hi! Welcome to the Wonderland Institute of Technology. You must be a first year graduate student. I’m your first year advisor, and it’s my job to talk to you and give you a feeling that someone cares about you personally. Now, let me see your schedule (grabs book). Well, uh, (looks at book then says with emphasis) Paul, this schedule looks fine to me (signs it) and remember to turn in your roll cards on the first day of each class. (Through all this Alice keeps going “uh” and “but”…but can’t manage to say anything) Remember that if you have any questions or problems, just come in and talk to me, I have plenty of time. Excuse me! (The advisor gets up and runs out. Alice runs after, then comes back)
Alice:	What a strange place! But where should I go from here? Why there’s a Cheshire Cat. (Enter Cheshire cat) Excuse me, sir, but can you tell me where I ought to go from here?
Cheshire Cat:	Why, I’m wery [sic] glad you asked me that. You should go to the optimal point, of course.
Alice:	But how long will that take me?
Cheshire Cat:	I can’t tell you that, listen to this. (Turns on radio, which produces static. Turns it off.) You see! Our economic theories are all static.
Alice:	I would like to see some faculty.
Cheshire Cat:	Well, you could go to Harward [sic], but it’s wery rare that anyone sees any faculty there. Or you could stay here, but everyone here has completely lost their faculties. They’re all mad, you know.
Alice:	But I don’t want to go among mad people.
Cheshire Cat:	Oh, you can’t help that; we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.
Alice:	How do you know I’m mad?
Cheshire Cat:	Well, a physicist’s not mad, you grant that? Now, a physicist starts with facts and tries to find theories that fit them. I start with theories and don’t bother with facts. Therefore I’m mad. Yes?
Alice:	But what are your theories about?
Cheshire Cat:	Do they have to be about anything?
Alice:	Well, I’ve often seen a subject without a theory, but a theory without a subject? It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life! (Alice suddenly starts)
Cheshire Cat:	Don’t worry, it’s just the inwisible hand.
(Enter two characters with paper hats (?) on which are cross diagrams. One has a potato chip taped to his shoulder.)
Cheshire Cat:	They’re Mike and Mac Ro
Micro:	Someone must stop him! It’s shameful! Look at that silly diagram he’s wearing! It’s a disgrace to the profession.
Macro:	It’s a perfectly good diagram. Not like that ridiculous diagram you’re wearing!
Alice:	But the diagrams look just the same.
Cheshire Cat:	Shhh! You’ll only get them more upset.
Alice:	Why don’t you try to talk your differences over?
Micro:	Well, we microeconomists believe in logic, so I’m willing to reason it out.
Macro:	You can’t expect me to be reasonable. Can’t you see I’ve got a chip on my shoulder?
Alice:	Why, yes—it’s a potato chip in fact.
Macro:	I wear it in honor of our founder, Cain’s. So prepare to defend yourself.
Micro:	I warn you, I’m a master of the Marshallian arts.
Macro:	But I’m armed with the most deadly tool of macroeconomics: (pulls out several pairs of pliers)…Multi-pliers!
Micro:	And I have the most dangerous concept of microeconomics. (pulls out a slingshot) Elasticity!
Alice:	Oh no, they’re going to have a duel and micro is a semi-strict under dog! (Mike and Mac turn back to back) (enter panting, the Quick and Dirty banker, carrying a money bag and a calculator)
Q&D:	Wait! You can’t have a duel without a primal.
Alice:	Who are you?
Q&D:	I’m duh quick and doity bankuh. And by my quick and doity bankuh’s calculation, I find dat what you need is more liquidity which I will now provide. (out of the moneybag he pulls a waterpistol, shoots everyone, then runs)
Macro:	Now we’re all wet. What are we going to do?
Alice:	It’s all right, I know just what to do. Here’s the driest thing I know. (begins reading from Bishop [notes])
Micro:	This isn’t getting me dry at all.
Macro:	Now there’s only one way to get dry, and this will prove to you that macroeconomics is good for something.
Alice:	What are you going to do?
Macro:	I’m going to do some hand-waving! Macroeconomists are always drying things out by waving their hands.
Alice:	They are?
Macro:	Of course! That’s why none of their theories will hold water. Now, watch this! (He begins to draw a diagram)
Alice:	What do those lines mean?
Macro:	Oh, I don’t know. But they’re pretty good lines, and Lord knows I have the right to a few good lines in this ridiculous skit.
Palmer:	Haven’t you got the A line drawn wrong?
Macro:	(Going very fast) Well, that line doesn’t really matter. (erases it)
Palmer:	But then shouldn’t you erase the k line, too?
Macro:	Well, all right (erases).
Palmer:	What do X and Y stand for?
Macro:	Oh, don’t worry about the axes (erases them). Actually, these are not quite like this anyway. (erases remaining lines) And, as you can see, equilibrium is at the intersection.
Alice:	Well, I’ve often seen lines without an intersection, but an intersection without lines? It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in my whole life.
Narrator:	You’re repeating yourself, Alice.
Alice:	What do you expect, Mel Brooks?
Micro:	You think that’s hand-waving! Why, I have seen hand-waving, compared with which that is no better than eternal bliss.
Alice:	But what is better than eternal bliss?
Micro:	Well, a ham sandwich, for instance.
Alice:	But nothing’s better than eternal bliss.
Micro:	And a ham sandwich is better than nothing. So, by transitivity, there you are!
Alice:	(ignoring Micro as she turns to the Cheshire Cat) Isn’t there anyone here who isn’t mad?
Cheshire Cat:	You might try an assistant professor.
Alice:	Which one should I try?
Cheshire Cat:	It doesn’t matter—pick one at random.
Alice:	How do I do that?
Cheshire Cat:	Just draw one from an assistant professor urn.
Alice:	What’s an assistant professor urn?
Micro, Macro, Cheshire Cat, Narrator (in unison)	About eleven thousand a year!
(pause)
Narrator:	…and a copy of Bishop’s notes.
Alice:	Curiouser and curiouser.
(exeunt all)

ACT II

Narrator:

Act II. The Mad Boston Tea Party

(Dormouse sleeps throughout. Mad Hatter stuttering throughout; price keeps going up on hat.)

Mad Hatter:

What’s your liquidity preference my dear?

Alice:

It looks like you have nothing but tea.

Mad Hatter:

That is all we have.

Alice:

Then why did you ask?

Mad Hatter:

Consumer sovereignty. (gives Alice tea) I would like to suggest to you that that will be eight pence (takes shilling from Alice.)

Alice:

No cover charge?

Mad Hatter:

A gentleman never takes cover, as we say in the old country.

Alice:

Hey, I gave you a shilling and you only gave me two pence change back!

Mad Hatter:

A gentleman never counts his change.

Hare:

Gentleperson!

Alice:

This sounds like a liquidity trap to me.

Mad Hatter:

Alright, I’ll put it down on the T-account…(gets book)

Alice:

There is something floating in my tea.

March Hare:

(looking) Exchange rates.

Mad Hatter:

… two pence… (fiddling with T-accounts)

Alice:

No it’s ice.

Mad Hatter:

…under frozen assets.

Hare:

Gary Becker! (general laughter)

Mad Hatter:

Why is the Poisson distribution like a temperature of 102?

Alice:

Well, let’s see… I suppose you would have to integrate e to the…

Mad Hatter:

Integration! They only do that in South Boston.

March Hare:

No, that’s disintegration.

Alice:

I suppose you have to differentiate between…

Mad Hatter:

Differentiate? The first derivative is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Alice:

I give up, why is the Poisson distribution like a temperature of 102?

Mad Hatter:

I haven’t the slightest idea.

Alice:

That’s not very funny.

Mad Hatter:

Funny?

March Hare:

She wants to hear a joke.

Mad Hatter:

A joke, a joke!

March Hare:

…Fogel and Engerman! (general laughter)

Alice:

I’m afraid I don’t get it.

Mad Hatter:

Well, you see, certain names are standing jokes around here, like…Walt Whitman Rostow! (laughter)

Alice:

Can I try one?

Mad Hatter:

Go right ahead.

Alice:

Milton Friedman! (silence among the actors who look sour a moment after the audience’s laughter dies down.)

Mad Hatter:

Try another one.

Alice:

Jay Forrester….(more silence).

Alice:

I don’t understand. What’s wrong?

Mad Hatter:

Well, some people just can’t tell a joke.

March Hare:

Perhaps you’d like to see a proof?

Mad Hatter:

A proof! A proof!

March Hare:

This is a proof I recited before the Queen of Hearts. (goes to board)

Twiddle Twiddle lambda star
Alpha hat, beta hat times X bar.
Alpha hat, beta hat sigma X_i

One over n, equals mean of Y.

[writes on board:]:
$\begin{array}{l}\mathop{{\tilde{\tilde{\lambda }}}}^{*}=\hat{\alpha }+\hat{\beta }\cdot \bar{X}\\=\hat{\alpha }+\hat{\beta }\cdot \sum{{{X}_{i}}}\left( \frac{1}{n} \right)=\bar{Y}\end{array}$

Mad Hatter:

Time to move on to the next place.
(everybody gets up to move)

Alice:

What?! You mean you just move on to the next place without erasing?

March Hare:

We don’t have to erase; we just relabel the axes.

Mad Hatter:

I always erase twice, once before the period and once afterward. (erases)

(everyone moves down one, and relabels axes and curve)

Alice:

And I suppose when you use up all the places you just start again at the beginning of the circle?

Mad Hatter:

Yes. It’s called recycling.

March Hare:

You better wake up the Dormouse.

(Mad Hatter and March Hare exit)

Alice:

(To Dormouse) Wake up, wake up. (shakes him)

Dormouse:

(waking) Whaaaaat?

Alice:

Wake up. It’s over.

Dormouse:

(Pause…) Can I Xerox your notes?

Alice:

(starts to leave. turns and says) Why is a Poisson distribution like a temperature of 102? (Pause. Alice exits)

Dormouse:

(alone) Because it’s not normal.

ACT III

Narrator:	Act III. Alice meets Tweedledum and Tweedledee, who have a battle.
(Alice enters and sits down. Dum and Dee enter, arm-in-arm, prancing. Dee sits down; Dum goes to the board and begins. Throughout, Dee is frantic, pacing, and talking very fast. Dum is red-faced, slow-talking, constantly looking at the floor; arms folded, with noticeably short pants and a turtleneck.)
Dum:	So, to conclude yesterday’s talk, we can see that it’s entirely possible that for the two sub-groups, say, men and women, you could have different parameters in the regression…
Dee:	(jumping up to interrupt) I think I can draw a picture that will make that all clear. Wish I had my colored chalk… [draws pictures].

	…so you see that while the slope in the pooled regression is zero, contrariwise; it’s actually negative for men and positive for women.
Dum:	…Sort of, different slopes for different folks, which tells us…
Dee:	[interrupting] …and contrariwise, I can clear this up by drawing a picture that would show…[draws picture]

Dum:	[interrupting]…that there could be kinky behavior in some subgroups….
Dee:	Right. (sits down)
Dum:	But, as I was going to say, this illustrates the 287^th “Iron Law” of econometrics, which states that….
Dee:	(again jumping up to interrupt)…Contrariwise,…I think I can make that clear with a picture in four dimensions. Damn, I just wish I had my colored chalk…(draws pictures)

	…which shows that…
Dum:	(getting very irritated, interrupting) Nohow! The time has come, the Walras said to talk of many things, of matrices and error terms of cabbages and kings, and keeping out your pictures that keep complicating things.
Dee:	Contrariwise! In my way of showing things I’m better far than you, Your talk is like an old dead horse– It’s slow, not unlike glue.
Dum:	Now wait a second…
(Dum and Dee break into a general dispute, yelling at one another.)
Dum:	….you’re not consistent…
Dee:	…you’re almost surely driving me to the p-limit…
Dum:	…you’re a homoscedastic deviate…
(While Tweeledum and Tweedledee continue arguing, the Narrator breaks in…)
Narrator:	So Tweedledum and Tweedledee Agreed to have a fight For Tweedledum said Tweedledee Couldn’t prove Gauss-Markov right.
Dum:	Of course we must have a fight. What time is it?
Dee:	10:40—We’re late getting started, so we better hurry up.
Dum:	Let’s fight ‘till noon, then have lunch.
Narrator:	So they agreed to fight and, as Alice watched, they began to see who could prove the theorem better.
(Dum and Dee give lectures simultaneously, beginning and ending at the same time with the same words.)
Dee:	[simultaneously with Dum] I CLAIM THAT OLS IS BLUE. Basically, we want to prove that ${{\sum{\left( \mathbf{{X}'Y} \right)}}^{-1}}\mathbf{{Z}'}\beta \le {{\sum{\left( \mathbf{{X}'\tilde{Y}} \right)}}^{-1}}\mathbf{{Z}'}\gamma$ Now just take the inverse of the antilog of the Jacobian and delete the fourth row. Let little x be the square root of big X, and let medium-sized x be measured from its mean; substitute back in and we have ${{\sum{\left( \mathbf{{X}'}\left[ \begin{matrix} \mathbf{Y} \\ \mathbf{Z} \\ \end{matrix} \right] \right)}}^{-1}}{\left\| J \right\|\cdot \Pi \cdot {{R}^{2}}}/{\text{hat size}}\;$ which you will recall from 14.381. Then, as I promised, you can use this by transposing Z and x, deleting R and reversing the inequality…..OH SHIT…I’ve screwed up…Well, just change every medium-sized x in your notes to big X, delete all sigmas, and reverse the third and fourth steps of the proof I gave last week which was right here on the board. Or look in Tahl’s [Theil with an West Virginian accent] book. Everyone should understand this perfectly—and of course the notation is clear. Then, adding the obvious steps we learned in 14.381 to this proof completes the argument. SO OLS IS BLUE, as promised.
Dum:	[simultaneously with Dum] I CLAIM THAT OLS IS BLUE. Well….a lot of people go around proving the Gauss-Markov….Theorem….but the literature is full of cases….where what’s done is wrong….Take matrix addition for example….Some people just add element-by-element….while often the more interesting thing to do…..is to use the Choleski factorization of one of the matrices….And recalling that Tweedledum and I are the final arbiters of econometrics at W.I.T. (at least until Fisher gets back off leave) you’d better do it this way, or consider dropping the course. SO OLS IS BLUE, as promised.
Palmer:	Shouldn’t you invert that Jacobian before proceeding to expansion in Lambert spaces….
Dee:	[interrupting] If it was so, it might be; If it WERE so, it could be; But as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.
Narrator:	Alice couldn’t figure out just who had won the fight, although Tweedledee HAD used a lot more words….
[exeunt]

ACT IV

Tweedledee:	Act Four, “The trahl”.
Narrator:	Within a few moments Alice will witness the trial of the Knave of Hearts who is in deep trouble now because the King of Hearts is flying all the way from the Capital of Wonderland to preside at the trial. You are undoubtedly familiar with the Knave of Hearts most important contribution to economic analysis, “A Life-Cycle Built for Two”. But now he has been accused of starting the latest Wonderland inflation and depression—or as they say in the seminar rooms down by the River Chuck—“inflession”. The economic experts of the King—Knave Arthur of Clubs, Knave William of Spades, and Knave Alan of Diamonds—have all convinced him that economic voodoo has been practiced on models on the Wonderland economy in the hallowed halls of W.I.T. Since the King of Hearts has never played with a full-deck in his life, he was easily deceived by these rascals. Fortunately for the Knave of Hearts the Queen was unable to come to the trial due to a prior speaking engagement before the Veterans of Foreign Business Cycles.
	(Enter Knaves of C.S. &D. They play “Hail to the Chief” on kazoos for a few bars and end with “Pop goes the weasel.” Then the King enters wearing a helmet and carrying a football. A WIN button is conspicuous. King bends over, hikes the ball to Knave of Clubs. King sits down on throne in middle of stage.)
Knave of Clubs.	Where’s the jury?
King of Hearts.	(points at the Knaves) You. (Knaves turn around but no one is behind them. King continues…) Yes, you. You are his peers. And for a proper trial before we cut off his grant, we must have a jury of his peers.
Knight of Diamonds.	(tossing a coin à la [George] Rath) We know what to do.
	(Enter all the other characters from Wonderland, except Joker and reporters)
King:	What are the charges?
Knave of Clubs:	Eleven dollars a barrel.
White Rabbit:	The King of Hearts, he has no smartz But Unemployment yes. The Knave of Hearts has played his part To make inflation worse.
Knaves in the jury-box:	Boo, Hiss, Boo!
King:	It is a pretty despicable offense isn’t it?
Knave of Spades:	Are you kidding? The charges don’t even rhyme.
King:	Will the defendant rise?
Knave of Hearts:	If I had known you were going to ask me that question I would have built it into my model.
King:	I’ll hold you in contempt!
Knave of Hearts:	I don’t suppose I’ll become overly fond of you either.
King:	Let the jury note the defendant’s behavior.
Knave of Hearts:	Which reminds me of my 1944 paper, but that is of course a secondary issue given the gravity of the problems which we now face. While I can’t formally defend the following equation to my own satisfaction, I think that it does make some economic sense. But first I should say that things will be getting much worse before they will get better, I can give you the latest predictions…..
King:	(fuming through all of the above) Bind the bearer of bad tidings or he’ll talk us to death…
Knave of Clubs:	But what shall we bind him with?
King:	Bearer bonds, naturally!
	(The Knaves come out of the jury box and use first-aid gauze to tie the knave of Hearts by body and legs & gag him—leaving only one arm free. Knave of Hearts has been talking with his hands throughout his testimony, and he continues gesturing with his free hand while occasional grunts can be heard under his gag.)
King:	May it be noted that in the tradition of Wonderland jurisprudence we have left the defendant with one degree of freedom in spite of his lack of respect for this court. Are there any witnesses?
Mad Hatter:	I am.
King:	Take the stand.
Knave of Clubs (to Mad Hatter):	Did the defendant do it?
Mad Hatter:	Certainly not.
Knave of Spades:	And you witnessed this with your own eyes?
Mad Hatter:	And I didn’t hear or smell him do it either.
Knave of Diamonds:	But how strong was your prior?
Mad Hatter:	Well, I don’t like to boast but when I was a young man working for the OSS during the War, I once spent a week in bed with a….
Knave of Clubs:	No, no, no. How much could new data affect your prior beliefs, and if considerably, what was your posterior judgment?
Mad Hatter:	I don’t now, that’s a good one. But I’ve got one for you. What weighs 12,000 pounds and has a twice differentiable indifference map over hay and peanuts?
King:	That’s irrelevant!
Mad Hatter:	That’s right.
King:	Give your evidence, or I’ll cut your grant off on the spot!
Mad Hatter:	(stutters) I’m a poor man your majesty.
King:	You’re a very poor speaker. (knaves laugh) I thought that was a pretty good one too. I’m in the mood for a few laughs (to White Rabbit) Call in the Joker.
White Rabbit:	The Joker.
(Enter Joker, attended by secretary, fans seeking autographs, and reporters taking pictures)
Joker:	It’s great to be back in Wonderland folks. A funny thing happened on my way…
King:	(interrupting) You have been called here to testify. What is the Keynesian viewpoint?
Joker:	As Uncle Miltie Friedman would say, only blindmen use Keynes. Hey, that’s a pretty good one. (To secretary) Write that down for my textbook—Better yet, put out a new edition. But, seriously folks just the other day I was leafing through a volume of Ricardo’s letters in the Sraffa collection when I came across a letter from Ricardo to James Mill describing the following encounter between Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo. Ricardo was walking down the street one day when he ran into the good Reverend who was, much to Ricardo’s surprise, sporting a banana in his left ear. Ricardo was surprised because Malthus was always the last of the political economists to adopt a new fashion. Finally Ricardo’s curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “I say Tom, why is that banana in your ear?” Malthus didn’t seem to understand—but that was hardly unusual as Malthus, more often than not, couldn’t understand what his friend was saying. In fact, old Malthus personally thought that Ricardo couldn’t optimize his way out of a paper sack, much less a Lambert space. Finally Malthus said, “I’m sorry Dave, but I can’t hear you, you see, I have this banana in my ear.” (everyone in the courtroom is sleeping) And now….ahem…ahem (everyone wakes up). A few of your favorite impressions: Francois Quesnay! (He covers his face with his hands; removes hands; expression unchanged) Böhm-Bawerk! (same routine)
King:	Enough!
Joker:	Nassau Senior! (same routine)
King:	Take him away. (White rabbit and knaves carry Joker off, still doing impressions. e.g. Stanley Jevons, Joseph Schumpeter, Vilfredo Pareto….)
King:	Who is the next witness?
Rabbit:	Alice!
Alice:	Here! (she goes to the witness stand)
King:	What do you know about this business?
Alice:	Nothing.
King:	If you say anything, I’ll give you part credit. Otherwise….
Alice:	But I don’t need part credit!
King:	Young lady, I’m growing impatient. Either tell us something about this business or I’ll cut off your grant.
Alice:	(crying) But I don’t have a grant.
King:	Then why are you so upset, indeed.
Alice:	What sort of….(alarm clock goes off in the jury box and the knaves wake up).
Knaves:	(in unison) Verdict time!!
Knave of Spades:	(To Knave of Diamonds) Do you have the coin?
Knave of Diamonds:	Yes I do. (to Spades). You’re innocence, (to Clubs) you’re guilt. Call it innocence. (he tosses the coin high in air)
Alice:	What kind of trial is this?
King:	Don’t be a stupid child. It’s a Bernoulli trial.
Knave of Spades:	Tails.
Knave of Diamonds:	Sorry it’s heads. He’s guilty!
Alice:	May I see the coin? (it’s tossed to her) This coin has two heads.
King:	Did anyone say p equaled one half?
	(Lights out. Everyone leaves but Alice. Lights on she has book and wakes up.)
Alice:	I’m glad I woke up before I had to take generals. (She leaves)
Audience:	(Deafening applause) Bravo. Cheers. Whoopee.

Source: Transcribed by Irwin Collier from personal copy.

Tags Abel, Aspe, Begg, Beleza, Bhagwati, Bishop, Bookstaber, Collier, Datcher, Daula, Desormeaux, Diamond, Domar, Donnelly, Duarte, Feiger, Frankel, Giavazzi, Hall, Halpern, Hausman, Helms, Hill, Kindleberger, Klorza, Krasker, Krugman, Malveaux, Meehan, Mincy, Modigliani, Mooney, Mork, Nagatani, Neuer, Samuelson, SmithDA, Stanley Fischer, Startz, Weitzman, Winicker

Economists Fields Harvard

Harvard. 13 Ph.D. Candidates, General or Special Examinations by Field, 1912-13

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-09-01

For thirteen Harvard economics Ph.D. candidates this posting provides information about their respective academic backgrounds, the six subjects of their general examinations along with the names of the examiners, the subject of their special subject, thesis subject and advisor(s) (where available). This transcribed announcement is for the academic year 1912-13.

________________________________________

DIVISION OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEGREE OF PH.D.
1912-13

Notice of hour and place will be sent out three days in advance of each examination.
The hour will ordinarily be 4 p.m.

Charles Edward Persons.

Special Examination in Economics, Wednesday, January 15, 1913.
General Examination passed February 25, 1909.
Academic History: Cornell College (Iowa), 1898-1903; Harvard Graduate School, 1904-05, 1906-09. A.B., Cornell, 1903; A.M., Harvard, 1905. Instructor in Economics, Wellesley, 1908-09; Preceptor in Economics, Princeton, 1909-10; Instructor in Economics, Northwestern, 1910-12; Assistant Director, St. Louis School of Social Economy, Washington University, 1913-.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History to 1750. 3. Economic History since 1750. 4. Sociology and Social Reform. 5. Transportation and Foreign Commerce. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Transportation.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Bullock, Ripley and Rappard.
Thesis Subject: “The History of the Ten-Hour Law in Massachusetts.”
Committee on Thesis: Professors Taussig, Bullock, and Ripley.

Clyde Orval Ruggles.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, January 17, 1913.
General Examination passed May 20, 1909.
Academic History: Hedrick Normal School, 1895-96; Iowa State Normal School and Teachers’ College of Iowa, 1901, 1903-06; State University of Iowa, 1906-07; Harvard Graduate School, 1907-09. A.B., Teachers’ College, 1906; A.M., State University, 1907. Professor of Economics, State Normal School, Winona, Minn., 1909-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Sociology and Social Reform. 3. Statistics. 4. Economic History to 1750, with especial reference to England. 5. Money, Banking, and Commercial Crises. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Money and Banking.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Sprague, Turner, and Dr. Day.
Thesis Subject: “The Economic Basis of the Greenback Movement in Iowa and Wisconsin.”
Committee on Thesis: Professors Sprague, Turner, and Dr. Day.

Harold Hitchings Burbank.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, April 28, 1913.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Channing, Taussig, Gay, and Dr. Day.
Academic History: Dartmouth College, 1905-10; Harvard Graduate School, 1911-13. A.B., Dartmouth, 1909; A.M. ibid., 1910. Instructor in Economics, Dartmouth, 1910-11; Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1911-12; Instructor in Economics, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Money, Banking, and Crises. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Tariff History and International Trade. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Taxation.
Thesis Subject: “The History of the General Property Tax in Massachusetts since 1775.” (With Professor Bullock.)

John Alvin Bigham.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, April 30, 1913.
Committee: Professors Carver (chairman), Bullock, Cole, Fite, and Dr. Copeland.
Academic History: University of Kansas, 1904-08; Harvard Graduate School, 1908-10, 1911-12. A.B., Kansas, 1908; A.M., Harvard, 1909. Instructor in Economics, St. Augustine’s School, Raleigh, N.C., 1910-11.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Economics of Agriculture. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Economics of Agriculture, with especial reference to American conditions.
Thesis Subject: (undecided).

John Ise.

General Examination in Economics, Friday, May 2, 1913.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Wyman, Carver, Sprague, and Dr. Copeland.
Academic History: University of Kansas, 1904-11; Harvard Graduate School, 1911-13. MUS.B, Kansas, 1908; A.B., ibid., 1910; LL.B., ibid., 1911; A.M., Harvard, 1912. Assistant in Economics, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Money, Banking, and Crises. 6. Jurisprudence.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Thesis Subject: “The Government Land Policy since 1880.” (With Professor Bullock.)

Lloyd Morgan Crosgrave.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 7, 1913.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Ripley, Bullock, Fite, and Dr. Copeland.
Academic History: Indiana University, 1905-09; Harvard Graduate School, 1910-13. A.B., Indiana, 1909; A.M., Harvard, 1911. Teacher of History, Decatur High School, Ill., 1909-10; Instructor in Economics, Harvard, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Statistics. 4. Public Finance and Railroads. 5. Labor Problems, including Social Reforms. 6. History of American Institutions since 1789.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Thesis Subject: “The American Glass Industry.” (With Professor Taussig.)

Lucius Moody Bristol.

Special Examination in Economics (Social Ethics), Thursday, May 8, 1913.
General Examination passed May 4, 1911.
Academic History: University of North Carolina, 1894-95; Boston University School of Theology, 1896-99; Harvard Divinity School, 1909-10; Harvard Graduate School, 1910-11. A.B., North Carolina, 1895; S.T.B., Boston University, 1899; A.M., Harvard, 1910. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1911-13; Instructor in Sociology and Applied Christianity, Tufts, 1910-12; Assistant Professor of Applied Christianity, Tufts, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Ethical Theory. 2. Economic Theory. 3. Labor Problems. 4. Social Reforms. 5. Sociology. 6. Statistics.
Special Subject: Sociology.
Committee: Professors Carver (chairman), Taussig, Bullock, and Dr. Brackett.
Thesis Subject: “The Development of the Doctrine of Adaptation as a Theory of Social Progress.” (With Professor Carver.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Carver, Sprague, and Dr. Brackett.

Yamato Ichihashi.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, May 12, 1913.
General Examination passed May 1, 1912.
Academic History: Leland Stanford Junior University, 1904-08; Harvard Graduate School, 1910-12; A.B., Leland Stanford, 1907; A.M., ibid., 1908. Assistant in Economics, Leland Stanford, 1908-10.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Statistics. 5. Anthropology. 6. Labor Problems and Industrial Organization.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Committee: Professors Ripley (chairman), Taussig, Carver, and Dr. Day.
Thesis Subject: “Emigration from Japan, and Japanese Immigration into the State of California.” (With Professor Ripley.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Ripley, Turner, and Carver.

George Henry von Tungeln.

General Examination in Economics (Social Ethics), Wednesday, May 14, 1913.
Committee: Dr. Ford (chairman), Professors Taussig, Turner, R.B. Perry, Drs. Brackett and Foerster.
Academic History: Central Wesleyan College, 1904-06, 1907-09; Northwestern University, 1909-10; Harvard Graduate School, 1911-13. Ph.B., Central Wesleyan, 1909; A.M., Northwestern, 1910.
General Subjects: 1. Ethical Theory. 2. Economic Theory. 3. Poor Relief. 4. Social Reforms. 5. Sociology. 6. Criminology and Penology.
Special Subject: Criminology and Penology.
Thesis Subject: “Boston Juvenile Offenders in their Economic and Moral Relations.” (With Professor Peabody and Dr. Ford.)

Eliot Jones.

Special Examination in Economics, Thursday, May 15, 1913.
General Examination passed May 19, 1910.
Academic History: Vanderbilt University, 1900-07; Harvard Graduate School, 1907-10, 1911-12; A.B. Vanderbilt, 1906; A.M., Harvard, 1908. Austin Teaching Fellow, 1909-10, 1911-12; Instructor in Economics, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Statistics. 4. Money, Banking, and Industrial Organization. 5. Transportation and Foreign Commerce. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Railroad Transportation.
Committee: Professors Ripley (chairman), Carver, Sprague, and Dr. Copeland.
Thesis Subject: “The History of the Anthracite Coal Industry, with especial reference to the Development of Combination.” (With Professor Ripley.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Ripley, Taussig, and Sprague.

Joseph Stancliffe Davis.

Special Examination in Economics. Friday, May 16, 1913.
General Examination passed May 17, 1909.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1904-08; Harvard Graduate School, 1908-12; A.B., 1908. Assistant in Economics, 1908-10, 1911-12; Instructor in Economics and Sociology, Bowdoin College, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Progress. 4. Money, Banking, and Industrial Organization. 5. History of American Institutions, especially since 1783. 6. Anthropology, especially Ethnology.
Special Subject: Business Corporations, with especial Reference to the Development of Corporate Enterprise in the United States.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Ripley, Carver, and Schaub.
Thesis Subject: “Corporations in the American Colonies.” (With Professor Bullock.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Bullock, Channing, and Taussig.

Ralph Emerson Heilman.

Special Examination in Economics (Social Ethics), Monday, May 19, 1913.
General Examination passed May 11, 1911.
Academic History: Morningside College, 1903-06; Northwestern University, 1906-07; Harvard Graduate School, 1909-13; Ph.B., Morningside, 1906; A.M., Northwestern, 1907. Instructor in Economics, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Ethical Theory. 2. Economic Theory and its History. 3. Poor Relief. 4. Social Reform. 5. Sociology. 6. Labor Problems.
Special Subject: The Control of Municipal Public Service Corporations.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Ripley, Sprague, and Dr. Copeland.
Thesis Subject: “Chicago Traction—A Study in the Efforts of the City to Secure Good Service.” (With Professor Taussig.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Taussig, Ripley, and Munro.

Rufus Stickney Tucker.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 28, 1913.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Turner, Ripley, Sprague, and Dr. Gray.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1907-11; Harvard Graduate School, 1911-13. A.B., 1911; A.M., 1912.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Statistics. 3. Money and Banking. 4. Economic History since 1750. 5. History of American Institutions. 6. Public Finance.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Thesis Subject: “The Incidence of Real Estate Taxation.” (With Professor Bullock.)

Source: Harvard University Archives. Harvard University, Examinations for the Ph.D. (HUC 7000.70), Folder “Examinations for the Ph.D., 1912-13”.

Image Source: Harvard University, card catalogue in Widener Library (ca 1915). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Tags Bigham, Bristol, Burbank, Crosgrave, DavisJS, Heilman, Ichihashi, Ise, JonesEliot, PersonsCE, RugglesCO, TuckerRS, vonTungeln

Chicago Courses Cowles

Cowles Commission’s List of Univ. of Chicago Courses, 1952

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-31

This listing of certain courses by the Cowles Commission offered at the University of Chicago ca. 1952 is probably more interesting as to what was not included, namely applied fields with the possible exception of international economics (though probably what was meant there was only the theory of international trade and payments). Otherwise the list and course descriptions seem completely contemporary…without either the word microeconomics or macroeconomics being used!

___________________

Courses at the University of Chicago in Econometrics, Mathematical Economics, Economic Theory, and Statistics*

* Not all of these courses are offered in any one academic year.

National Income and Related Aggregates. Survey of the sources and methods involved in estimating the economic structure. National income, capital formation, balance of payments, and the components of the input-output analysis. Formulation of national economic programs. Aggregates arc related to the data and methods of both business and government accounting. Attention is given to students’ practical work.

Price Theory. A systematic study of the pricing of final products and factors of production under essentially stationary conditions. Covers both perfect competition and such imperfectly competitive conditions as monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly.

Welfare Economics. Description of conditions defining production and utility “possibilities.” Implications of these conditions for appraising economic policies affecting resource allocation, income distribution, and the level of employment. Special applications are made in the appraisal of imperfect competition, various government fiscal policies, and alternative economic systems.

Allocation of Resources in Production. Criteria for optimal resource allocation. Prices are introduced as marginal rates of substitution under efficient allocation of resources. The use of prices as guides to allocative decisions. Applications to a variety of production and pricing problems, including those of the transportation industry, and problems of industrial location.

Choice and Possibilities in Economic Organization (with particular application to agriculture). Economic development. Economic fluctuations.

The Theory of Income, Employment, and Price Level. Government policies and other factors determining the employment of resources, the national income and its use, and the levels of prices, wage rates, and interest rates. These problems are linked with the behavior of individual firms and households.

Economics of Uncertainty. Probabilistic vs. deterministic social science, normative and descriptive. Optimal strategies under complete and incomplete information. Applications to private and public policy; choice of assets (liquidity, inventories, diversification); versatility.

Monetary Aspects of International Trade. Foreign payments and receipts. Classical and modern theories of adjustment of the balance of payments. Theories of exchange rates. Capital movements in the balance of payments. Postwar monetary plans.

Economic Aspects of International Relations. Price theory and international trade; the gains from international specialization. International trade and the distribution of income. Historical and theoretical discussion of the theory of tariffs. Commercial policies of particular countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Commodity agreements and cartels. The growth of state trading. The new mercantilism.

Seminar on Modern Developments in Economic Theory. Discussion of selected topics from recent literature.

Seminar in Monetary Dynamics. The dynamic adjustment of the economy as a whole, with special emphasis on the role of the monetary and banking system. Student discussion of theoretical issues and empirical studies in this general field.

Scope and Method of the Social Sciences. The first of this sequence of three courses is an introduction to statistical methods as used in the social sciences.

Statistical Inference (sequence of three courses). The first two courses survey the principles of statistical inference. Among the subjects treated are: elements of probability; concepts of population sample, and sampling distribution; choice of estimates in the light of their sampling properties; testing hypotheses with reference to specific alternatives; principles of sampling and sample design; analysis of proportions, means, and standard deviations; simple, partial, and multiple regression and correlation. In the third course of the sequence students may carry out a statistical investigation; published statistical studies may be analyzed in detail; or some special field of application may be studied.

Introduction to Econometrics. Some properties of vectors, matrices, systems of linear equations. Analysis of simple economic models.

Statistical Problems of Model Construction. Discussion of problems arising when inference processes are directed to a postulated structure underlying the probability distribution of observed variables. Problems of identification of structural characteristics in a given model, of estimation of identifiable parameters, of estimation bias arising from incorrectly specified models, and of testing the specifications that define a model. Examples are drawn from econometrics, factor analysis, latent attribute analysis, and from the study of errors of observation.

Statistical Methods of Measuring Economic Relations.

Time Series. Stochastic difference equations, trends, moving averages, tests for randomness, correlograms, periodograms.

Sample Surveys. Theory of sampling from finite populations and especially its application to human populations.

Markov Processes. Three types of Markov process: discrete in space and time; discrete in space and continuous in time; continuous in both space and time. Use of certain of these processes as models in, e.g., genetics, evolution, diffusion, and communication.

Analysis of Variance and Regression. Algebra and geometry of vector spaces systematically applied to theory and application of subjects known variously as linear hypotheses, regression, analysis of variance, and least squares.

Estimation and Tests of Hypotheses. General methods, especially the theories of Neyman, Pearson, and Fisher.

Sequential Analysis. The sequential probability ratio test and its operating characteristics and average sample number functions; application to standard distributions; double dichotomies; sequential estimation; special problems.

Statistical Theory of Decision-Making. Critical review of modern statistical viewpoints, emphasizing general ideas as opposed to techniques. Interpretations of probability; the probabilistic utility theory; critique of Bayes’ theorem; methods proposed for avoiding Bayes’ theorem, especially Wald’s theory of minimum risk and the Neyman-Pearson theory; randomization; sufficient statistics and likelihood ratios; de Finnetti’s theory of personal probability.

Mathematical Statistics. An introduction to the theories of mathematical statistics that include discussions of point estimation, set estimation, and the testing of hypotheses.

Theory of Minimum Risk. Where practical, illustrations are drawn from standard statistical tests and estimates, but the treatment is for the most part on an abstract level. Existence theorems; general techniques of solution; simple dichotomies; asymptotic point estimation; symmetrical problems; sequential decisions.

Multivariate Analysis. The multivariate normal distribution. Related distributions such as the Wishart distribution and its noncentral analogue, and the distribution of the roots of determinantal equations. Hotelling’s cannonical correlations. Associated tests and estimation functions and the problem of classification.

The Design of Experiments. Design of experiments with special reference to the analysis of variance. Interaction and its exploitation in design, and the analysis of covariance. Numerical methods, analysis in the case of missing observations, and the effects of departure from the underlying assumptions of the analysis of variance are touched upon.

Non-Parametric Inference.

Econometrics Seminar. Reports by staff members, students, and visitors.

Statistics Seminar. Reports by staff members, students, and visitors.

Source: Cowles Commission for Research in Economics. Economic Theory and Measurement. A Twenty Year Research Report, 1932-1952 (University of Chicago, 1952), pp. 177-180.

Image Source: Cowles Foundation website: Social Science Building at the University of Chicago.

Columbia Economists

Columbia. Arrow on the Subordination of Price Theory, 1940-42

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-30

Reading this account by Kenneth Arrow, I wondered why the lecturer in his history of economic thought course was not identified by name and who the lecturer was. In the Arrow papers at Duke’s Economists’ Papers Archive one finds his notes to John Maurice Clark’s course “On Current Types of Economic Theory” so for now I’ll presume that the son of the great John Bates Clark was the unknown lecturer of Arrow’s anecdote.

_________________________

Kenneth Arrow Recalls the Subordination of Price Theory at Columbia

The intellectual environment at Columbia University when I was a graduate student in 1940-1942 was far different from that in which the modern graduate student in economics finds himself. Neoclassical price theory now holds pride of place, as all students will acknowledge, some joyfully, some ruefully. But at Columbia at that period there was no required course in price theory. Indeed there was no course at all offered which gave a systematic exposition of microeconomics, except for Harold Hotelling’s one term offering of mathematical economics, the content of which would today be more or less standard for a general course but which was then regarded as highly esoteric indeed. The one required course which was most nearly equivalent to price theory was a course on the history of economic thought, where the lecturer gave potted summaries of everyone from the mercantilists on. Walras was barely mentioned and certainly was much less prominent than H. J. Davenport. Keynes was not mentioned (for that matter the General Theory was not mentioned even in the course on business cycles, though there were some glancing references to the Treatise on Money).

But the work of Thorstein Veblen was indeed prominently displayed in the course on economic thought, and it was no accident. The corrosive skepticism of Veblen towards “received” theory had, belatedly and even posthumously, under mined the never-very-secure hold of neoclassical thought on teaching of American economics. Of course he was not alone in effecting the change; the more benign, but equally negative, judgments of John R. Commons, in whose name we are gathered, shaped a generation of economists trained under him at the University of Wisconsin. At Columbia, the channel of influence was Wesley C. Mitchell, creator of the National Bureau of Economic Research. His version of the attack upon neoclassical economics was an insistence on the large-scale accumulation of data. It was in large part his direct influence plus the general background created by Veblen and Commons that led to the subordination of price theory at Columbia.

Source: From Kenneth J. Arrow, “John R. Commons Award Paper: Thorstein Veblen as an Economic Theorist.” The American Economist 19, no. 1 (1975): 5-9.

Image Source: Kenneth J. Arrow as Guggenheim Fellow (1972) John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Tags Arrow, Commons, Davenport, Hotelling, Mitchell

Columbia Economists Harvard Illinois Missouri Research Tip UCLA

Columbia Ph.D. Alumnus. Benjamin M. Anderson, 1886-1949

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-29

While the bulk of my internet trawling time for Economics in the Rear-View Mirror is devoted to tracking down curricular material and texts, serendipity occasionally takes me to biographically interesting places. Benjamin Anderson is of interest to ERVM both as having earned an economics Ph.D. from the Columbia School of Political Science and later as an economics professor at Harvard and UCLA.

Research Tip: The University of California’s series of In Memoriam volumes.

____________________

Benjamin McA. Anderson, Economics: Los Angeles
(1886-1949)

Earl J. Miller, Marvel Stockwell, John Clendenin, Vern O. Knudsen

BENJAMIN MCALESTER ANDERSON (May 1, 1886-January 19, 1949), son of Benjamin McLean and Mary Frances (Bowling) Anderson, was born in Columbia, Missouri. He married Margaret Louis Crenshaw May 27, 1909. He is survived by his wife and three children, John Crenshaw, William Bent, and Mary Louise (Brown). A fourth child, Benjamin M. Anderson III, died in 1919.

Professor Anderson received the A.B. at the University of Missouri in 1906, the A.M. at the University of Illinois in 1910, and the Ph.D. in Economics at Columbia in 1911. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and an active member of the American Economic Association, in which he served as vice-president and a member of the Executive Committee. He served as Professor of History in the State Normal School at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1905; Professor of English Literature and Economics at Missouri Valley College, Marshall, Missouri, in 1906; Professor of History and Economics at the State Teachers College, Springfield, Missouri, from 1906 to 1911; Instructor in Economics at Columbia from 1911 to 1913; Assistant Professor of Economics at Columbia, 1913; Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard, 1913-1918; economic advisor in the National Bank of Commerce in New York, 1918-1920; economist for the Chase National Bank of New York, 1920-1939; Professor of Economics in the University of California at Los Angeles, 1939-1949 (Connell Professor of Banking, 1946-1949).

Professor Anderson enjoyed a rich experience as a youth in his home at Columbia, Missouri. His father was for many years a prominent member of the Missouri State Legislature. Their home was the scene of innumerable political conferences to which Dr. Anderson was invited and from which he developed a keen interest in the then current political and economic problems.

Dr. Anderson’s publications were extensive, including four books and many articles and reviews. Outstanding among them were his books, Social Value, 1911; The Value of Money, 1917; Effects of the War on Money, Credit and Banking in France and the United States, 1919; Financing American Prosperity (coauthor with J. M. Clark, Columbia; A. H. Hansen, Harvard; S. H. Slichter, Harvard; H. S. Ellis, California at Berkeley; and J. H. Williams, Harvard), 1945. Much of his time during the last few years of his life was devoted to the writing of another book entitled Economics and the Public Welfare, a financial and economic history of the United States, 1914-1946. This extensive work was ready for proofreading at the time of his death. The book has now been published. It is a further major contribution to the field of economic literature comparable in quality to the high standard set in his previous works.

He contributed articles to many magazines and journals. Among them were the American Economic Review; Annals of the American Academy; Political Science Quarterly; Quarterly Journal of Economics; The New York Times; The Commercial and Financial Chronicle; The Bankers Magazine (London); The London Times; and the Wall Street Journal. During the past ten years he has published eight issues of the Economic Bulletin under the sponsorship of the Capital Research Company of Los Angeles. He associated himself for many years with a group of well-known economists in the organization known as the Economists’ National Committee on Monetary Policy, and served as President of that organization. Several of his articles were reprinted and circulated on a wide basis by that organization.

While economist for the Chase National Bank of New York, Professor Anderson published over two hundred issues of the Chase Economic Bulletin, which was distributed and read extensively in government, banking and educational circles in many countries. Representing the Chase National Bank he traveled extensively in foreign countries to conduct negotiations with leading government and banking officials. He was called on numerous occasions to testify before committees of the U.S. Congress and the New York State Legislature on questions of state, national and international policy relating to the fields of money and banking. These activities together with the wide circulation of his books, and of his articles in professional and financial journals and magazines, made him one of the best-known and most distinguished economists of his generation in both the national and international fields.

The firsthand contact with practical banking, with American and foreign banking officials, and with government agencies concerned with our economic and monetary affairs, which Dr. Anderson had enjoyed through many years, greatly enriched the content of his teaching and enabled him to provide for his students a sound and thoroughly practical experience. He originally possessed a scholarly command of history, literature, and languages which added impressively to his work, and he brought to his teaching and advisory tasks a broad perspective and keen judgment which made his pronouncements on economic affairs surprisingly accurate and wise.

Professor Anderson was a modest and distinguished scholar and a man esteemed by his colleagues for his personal qualities of kindly manner, stimulating humor, sympathetic appreciation and helpful cooperation. As a scholar and as a man he made a memorable contribution to the community in which he lived.

Source: Calisphere website: University of California, In Memoriam 1949, pp. 1-4.

Image Source: Benjamin M. Anderson in Harvard Class Album, 1915.

Tags Anderson

Courses Exam Questions Harvard

Harvard. Introductory Economics, Final Exams. Taussig, 1914-1915

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-28

Frank W. Taussig played a central role in Harvard’s economics at two important stages. He was the lecturer for the entry-level Principles of Economics course for undergraduates and the core economic theory course for graduate students. In addition he covered the field of international economics.

The course announcement, enrollment figures, and the final examination questions for his principles course come from four different sources, three of which are available on-line. Over the past few weeks, I have posted corresponding material from the twenty economics courses offered at Harvard during the 1914-15 year for which the final examination questions had been printed and subsequently published.

The following year (1915) Edmund E. Day and R. S. Davis (who belonged to the team of instructors and assistants for this principles course) published their Questions on the Principles of Economics (New York, Macmillan) that was arranged by topics to follow Taussig’s own textbook Principles of Economics (Second, revised edition of 1915: Volume One; Volume Two).

______________________

Course Announcement

Economics A. (formerly 1). Principles of Economics. Tu., Th., Sat., at 11.
Professor Taussig and Asst. Professor Day and five assistants.

Course A is introductory to the other courses. It is intended to give a general survey of the subject for those who take but one course in Economics, and also to prepare for the further study of the subject in advanced courses. It is usually taken with most profit by undergraduates in the second year of their college career. It may not be taken by Freshmen without the consent of the instructor. History 1 or Government 1, or both of these courses, will usually be taken to advantage before Economics A. [p. 61]

Course A gives a general introduction to economic study, and a general view of Economics for those who have not further time to give to the subject. It undertakes a consideration of the principles of production, distribution, exchange, money, banking, international trade, and taxation. The relations of labor and capital, the present organization of industry, and the recent currency legislation of the United States will be treated in outline.

The course will be conducted partly by lectures, partly by oral discussion in sections. A course of reading will be laid down, and weekly written exercises will test the work of students in following systematically and continuously the lectures and the prescribed reading. [p. 62]

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics 1914-15. Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. XI, No. 1, Part 14 (May 19, 1914).

______________________

Course Enrollment

[Economics] A. Professor Taussig and Asst. Professor Day, assisted by Dr. J. S. Davis, and Messrs. P. G. Wright, Burbank, Vanderblue, W. C. Clark, and Monroe.—Principles of Economics.

Total 491: 1 Graduate, 30 Seniors, 137 Juniors, 260 Sophomores, 11 Freshmen, 52 Others.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1914-15, p. 59.

______________________

Mid-year Examination

ECONOMICS A

[Arrange your answers strictly in the order of the questions. Answer all the questions; be concise; plan your answers with care; and leave time for revision at the close.]

In what ways, if at all, is the development of the complex division of labor connected with (a) the monotony of labor; (b) the Industrial Revolution; (c) integration of industry; (d) the recurrence of industrial crises?
Explain: external economies; internal economies. Which set of economies is most significant for the explanation of (a) the localization of industry; (b) increasing returns; (c) the development of monopoly?
If possible distinguish between

(a) diminishing returns and diminishing utility;
(b) by-product and joint product;
(c) joint cost and joint demand;
(d) “corners” and monopolies;
(e) median and arithmetical mean.

Explain briefly the immediate and the ultimate effects (if any) which each of the following changes, taken separately, will tend to have on the price of cotton, cotton-seed oil, and cotton-mill machinery; (a) prohibition of organized speculation; (b) a change of fashion toward greater use of cotton fabrics; (c) doubling of the population of the country. (Assume for all three cases that there is no international trade, and that the quantity of money remains the same.)
In what direction and by what process, if at all, would the following tend to affect the value of money in the United States; (a) increased demand for gold ornaments; (b) increasingly lavish expenditures by spendthrifts; (c) a continued drain of specie to the East; (d) a larger output of silver in the United States; (e) abolition of all legally required banking reserves?
Under what conditions does inconvertible paper money circulate as readily as specie? Under what conditions, not as readily?
Under what conditions is the value of inconvertible paper money as great as that of specie? Under what conditions is its value less than that of specie?
State two indications of its having less value than specie. Which of the two is the more significant? Which is the more easily ascertained?
State points of similarity, points of difference, between the Federal Reserve system and the English banking system as regards (a) centralization of reserves; (b) centralization of note issue; (c) measures available for preventing panics.
Under what circumstances, if any, can a country have a permanent excess of imports? Under what circumstances, if any, a permanent outflow of specie? Does an excess of imports lead to an outflow of specie?
Wherein, if at all, does a country gain or lose in its foreign trade (a) if prices and money incomes are higher than in foreign countries; (b) if prices and money incomes are lower?

Mid-Year. 1915.

Source: Harvard University Archives. Examination Papers in Economics, 1882-1935. Prof. F. W. Taussig. (HUC 7882). Scrapbook, p. 106.

______________________

Final Examination

ECONOMICS A

Arrange your answers strictly in the order of the questions.
Answer all the questions.

Explain concisely: —

diminishing returns,
margin of cultivation,
equilibrium of supply and demand,
economic rent.

Construct a simple index number of prices for 1914, using 1908 as the base.

	1908	1914
Wheat, bbl.	$8.00	$12.00
Coal, ton	8.00	8.00
Iron, ton	18.00	9.00
Lumber, 1000 feet	20.00	15.00
Meat, lb.	.20	.30
Sugar, lb.	.10	.10

(1) Would the index-number point to a rise or a fall in the value of money? (2) Would a Board of Arbitration be justified in recommending a change in wages? If so, on what basis? If not, why not?

Under what circumstances, if under any, will the imposition of a import duty cause the price of the dutiable commodity to fall? Under what will it fail to affect the price? Under what will it cause the price to rise?
To what cause or causes should you ascribe: —

(a) the high level of general wages in the United States;
(b) the high wages of skilled workmen such as plumbers;
(c) the high wages of domestic servants in the United States;
(d) the high wages of trained nurses.

Why is saving no less advantageous for laborers than lavish expenditure? Why do laborers usually favor ” making work “?
“The standard of living affects wages not directly, but ” — how?
What evidence of varying standards of living appears in the statistics of births and deaths for different countries? for different social classes?
“The special question presented in this regard by the trust movement seems to be whether large-scale management adds something to the gains from large-scale production in the narrower sense. Here, too, it would appear at first sight that the matter may be allowed to settle itself. Let them fight it out and let that form of organization survive which does the work most cheaply.”
Explain (a) what is meant by large-scale management and large-scale production; (b) what grounds there are for saying that they should be allowed to fight it out, what grounds for saying that they should not; (c) what legislation has recently been enacted in the United States on this subject.
“Important distinctions exist between full-fledged socialism and public management of selected industries.” What are the distinctions?

Final. 1915.

Source: Harvard University Examinations. Papers Set for Final Examinations in History, History of Science, Government, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Ethics, Education, Fine Arts, Music in Harvard College. June 1915, pp. 39-59.

Image Source: Frank W. Taussig in Harvard Class Album, 1915.

Tags Burbank, ClarkWC, DavisJS, Day, Monroe, Taussig, Vanderblue, WrightPG

Courses Exam Questions Harvard

Harvard. Statistics Final Exam. Day, 1914-15

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-27

Harvard’s 1914-15 statistics course in the department of economics was open to both undergraduate and graduate students. It was taught by Harvard Ph.D. (1909) and assistant professor, Edmund Ezra Day. The course announcement, enrollment figures, and the final examination questions come from three different sources, all of which are available on-line. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting corresponding material from the twenty economics courses offered during the 1914-15 year for which the final examination questions had been printed and subsequently published.

________________________

Course Announcement

Economics 1a¹. Statistics. Half-course (first half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 11. Asst. Professor Day, assisted by Mr. F. E. Richter.

This course will deal primarily with the elements of statistical method. The following subjects will be considered: methods of collecting and tabulating data; the construction and use of diagrams; the use and value of the various types and averages; index-numbers; dispersion; interpolation; correlation. Special attention will be given to the accuracy of statistical material.

In the course of this study of statistical method, examples of the best statistical information will be presented, and the best sources will be indicated. Population and vital statistics will be examined in some measure, but economic statistics will predominate.

Laboratory work in the solution of problems and the preparation of charts and diagrams will be required. [p. 62]

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics 1914-15. Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. XI, No. 1, Part 14 (May 19, 1914).

________________________

Course Enrollment

[Economics] 1a ¹hf. Asst. Professor Day, assisted by Mr. F. E. Richter.—Statistics.

Total 53: 23 Seniors, 22 Juniors, 4 Sophomores, 4 Others.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1914-15, p. 59.

________________________

Final Examination

ECONOMICS la¹

Formulate, if possible, practical definitions for use in statistical enumerations of the following: (a) cities; (b) farms; (c) manufacturing establishments; (d) the insane; (e) the blind. What are the essentials of a satisfactory statistical unit?
What three sorts of evidence may be employed to prove the inaccuracy of census enumerations of population? Which of the three is generally most effectively used?
Describe the different methods of estimating the growth of population. Under what circumstances is each method applicable? preferable? What method should you recommend for estimating the population of (a) Hartford, Connecticut; (b) Seattle, Washington; (c) the United States; (d) the United Kingdom?
In computing a crude birth-rate what disposition is made of (a) still-births; (b) multiple births; (c) illegitimate births? On what different bases may a crude birth-rate be refined? What are the objections to refining birth-rates? When is refining desirable?
What subjects are covered by the Census of Manufactures in the United States? What is the statistical value of the different results secured?
In the construction of index-numbers of prices, what are the advantages and disadvantages of (a) the weighted arithmetic mean; (b) the median? What are the more important difficulties in the construction of price indexes?
Discuss the reporting of crops in the United States with reference to (a) the bureaus engaged; (b) methods of securing data; (c) publication of results; (d) accuracy of results.
Define and briefly explain the uses of (a) the index-number; (b) logarithmic curve; (c) coefficient of dispersion; (d) coefficient of correlation.

Image Source: Edmund Ezra Day in Harvard Class Album, 1915.

Tags Day

Courses Exam Questions Harvard

Harvard. Accounting, Final Examination. J.S. Davis, 1914-15

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-26

Harvard’s accounting course was open to both undergraduate and graduate students. It was taught by the Harvard Ph.D. (1913) and instructor of economics, Joseph Stancliffe Davis. The course announcement, enrollment figures, and the final examination questions come from three different sources, all of which are available on-line. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting corresponding material from the twenty economics courses offered during the 1914-15 year for which the final examination questions had been printed and subsequently published.

The course syllabus was transcribed and is available in a later posting.

An obituary for Davis written by Joseph H. Willits, “Joseph Stancliffe Davis, (1885-1975)” , was published in The American Statistician 30, no. 4 (1976), p. 199.

________________________

Course Announcement

Economics 1b. Accounting. Half-course (second half-year). Lectures, Mon., Wed., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Fri., at 1.30; problems and laboratory practice, two hours a week. Dr. J. S. Davis, assisted by Mr. F. E. Richter and —.

This course will deal with the construction and the interpretation of accounts of various types of business units, designed to show the financial status at a particular time, the financial results obtained during a period of time, and the relation between the results and the contributing factors. In other words, it will be concerned with the measurement, in terms of value, of economic instruments, forces, products, and surpluses.

Some attention will necessarily be given to the fundamentals of book-keeping, but emphasis will be placed chiefly upon the accounting principles underlying valuation and the determination of profits and costs. Problem work will be regularly assigned, and published reports of corporations will serve as material for laboratory work. [p. 63]

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics 1914-15. Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. XI, No. 1, Part 14 (May 19, 1914).

________________________

Course Enrollment

[Economics] 1b ²hf. Dr. J. S. Davis, assisted by Mr. F. E. Richter.—Accounting.

Total 119: 2 Graduates, 62 Seniors, 49 Juniors, 2 Sophomores, 4 Others.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1914-15, p. 59.

________________________

Course Final Exam

ECONOMICS 1b

Explain concisely five of the following: —

(a) “a controlling account”;
(b) “charging to capital”;
(c) “a sinking fund”;
(d) “a life insurance reserve”;
(e) “the five normal elements in cost”;
(f) “stores ledger.”

“The Depositors’ Guarantee Fund of Nebraska is to accumulate up to one and one-half per cent of the average daily [bank] deposits for the whole state, at the rate of one-half of one per cent for each of the first two years, then one-tenth of one per cent until the limit is reached, at which time assessments are to stop. No money is actually paid out by any bank except its proportionate share of losses arising from failures; the assessments are simply charged off from its profits and entered to the credit of the Depositors’ Guarantee Fund, which can be drawn upon by the State Banking Board.”

(a) What journal entries should a bank make (1) when an assessment of $5000 falls due? (2) when at the call of the State Banking Board it pays over $3000 as its share of a loss arising from the failure of another bank?
(b) Should a bank show “ Depositors’ Guarantee Fund “ on its balance sheet as an asset, a liability, or a proprietorship item?

From the following condensed but essentially complete statements, ascertain (taking each statement separately) the profits earned or the loss sustained during the year. Indicate the title each statement should bear.

(A)

	Dr.	Cr.	Assets	Liabilities
Real Estate and Plant	$40,000		$35,000
Merchandise		$15,000	10,000
Accounts Payable		10,000		$10,000
Cash	30,000		30,000
Capital		60,000		60,000
Expense	15,000		2,000

(B)

	Jan. 1	Dec. 31		Jan. 1	Dec. 31
Plant	$80,000	$70,000	Capital Stock	$100,000	$100,000
Receivables	45,000	50,000	Payables	65,000	75,000
Merchandise	30,000	25,000	Wages Accrued	5,000	5,000
Cash	50,000	60,000	Reserve for Ins.	…	10,000
Int. Prepaid	5,000	10,000	Surplus	40,000	25,000
(NOTE.—No dividends have been paid.)

(C)

Purchases	$100,000	Net Sales	$130,000
Wages	10,000	Interest Earned	4,000
Depreciation	6,000	Commission	6,000
Interest Expense	2,000
Miscel. Expense	12,000
Proprietor	10,000

Show journal entries for the first-named concern in each of the following transactions:—

(a) A department store raises cash by discounting at the First National Bank its 3-months’ note for $100,000, at 4%.
(b) Enterpriser having exhausted his personal credit, gets Goodfellow to accommodate him with a $5000 60-day note bearing interest at 6%, which Enterpriser immediately gets discounted at 5%.
(c) Retailer settles a bill of Manufacturer’s dated June 1, for goods listed at $150,000 and sold subject to a trade discount of 20% on terms ” 30 days net,” paying with a note maturing July 1.
(d) A railroad company buys steel freight cars at a cash price of $480,000, but pays for them with an issue of 4% 10-year bonds at 80.

Balance Sheet, January 1,1915.

Fixed Assets	$500,000	Capital Stock	$300,000
Current Assets	250,000	Bonds	300,000
Deficit	50,000	Current Liabilities	200,000
	$800,000		$800,000

You are asked what is the capital of a company showing the above balance sheet, which is assumed to be correct. What four possible correct answers might you give? In each case explain what the term “capital” signifies.

“The prospective investor in railroad securities should scrutinize very carefully any radical reduction in expenses that is made in either maintenance of way or maintenance of equipment; but a reduction in transportation expenses without any falling off in the revenue of the road may be fairly safely accepted as a reflection of increased efficiency.”

(a) Why this difference?
(b) Wherein would the company’s financial statements be falsified by excessive reductions in charges to maintenance?

“No rate of depreciation is at present prescribed by the commission, and although the companies are supposed to report to the Interstate Commerce Commission the rate which they use, they are at liberty to make this rate as low as they want to and are permitted to vary the rate from year to year. Furthermore, no charge for retirements is necessary until a locomotive is actually scrapped or sold. Let us assume, for a moment, that a road wishes to make a good showing by holding down maintenance of equipment expenses. Cars and engines which have become worn out or obsolete may be put on side tracks and neither scrapped nor sold, but new equipment bought. There is no way in which this can be detected from the maintenance . . . accounts.”

(a) How does this practice enable the roads to make “a good showing”?
(b) By what supplementary statistics, if any, can the practice be detected?
(c) Why should no rate of depreciation be prescribed?

“As the premium [on a bond] is nothing but the present worth of an annuity of the ‘difference of interest,’ so the various amortisations are nothing but the present worths of the different instalments of annuity.”
Explain the italicized terms and the statement.
What are the principal defects in present-day municipal accounting? What steps have been taken toward improvement?
State concisely the four most important accounting facts or principles which you have learned in this course. (Accuracy of statement and wisdom in selection will be considered in grading answers.)

Image Source: Joseph Stancliffe Davis, Harvard Class Album, 1916.

Tags DavisJS

Courses Exam Questions Harvard

Harvard. U.S. Economic History, Final Exam. Gay, 1915

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2017-08-25

“Economic and Financial History of the United States” was a course open to both undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard taught by Edwin F. Gay. The course announcement, enrollment figures, and the final examination questions come from three different sources, all of which are available on-line. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting corresponding material from the twenty economics courses offered during the 1914-15 year for which the final examination questions had been printed and subsequently published.

The course outline and reading assignments for this course in 1911 has been transcribed earlier here at Economics in the Rear-View Mirror.

________________________

Course Announcement

Economics 2b. Economic and Financial History of the United States. Half-course (second half-year). Tu., Th., Sat., at 9. Professor Gay, assisted by —.

The following are among the subjects considered: aspects of the Revolution and commercial relations during the Confederation and the European wars; the history of the protective tariff policy and the growth of manufacturing industries; the settlement of the West and the history of transportation, including the early canal and turnpike enterprises of the states, the various phases of railway building and the establishment of public regulation of railways; banking and currency experiences; various aspects of agrarian history, such as the public land policy, the growth of foreign demand for American produce and the subsequent competition of other sources of supply; certain social topics, such as slavery and its economic basis, and the effects of immigration. [pp. 63-4.]

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics 1914-15. Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. XI, No. 1, Part 14 (May 19, 1914).

________________________

Course Enrollment

[Economics] 2b ²hf. Professor Gay, assisted by Mr. A. H. Cole.—Economic and Financial History of the United States.

Total 131: 30 Graduates, 17 Seniors, 44 Juniors, 30 Sophomores, 10 Others.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1914-15, p. 59.

________________________

Final Examination

ECONOMICS 2b

(a) In the War of 1812, as well as in the embargo period, American shipping suffered; but with peace it nourished again. So too American shipping suffered in the Civil War; while afterwards shipping declined. How do you account for this?

(b) What justification, if any, is there for the following assertion: —

“In the case of England, the mail subvention system a wise and liberal policy, while in that of the United States it was a tax on the people to support a mistaken policy.”
Is a ship subsidy policy desirable for the United States at the present time?

Outline briefly your views as to the immediate influence of the Civil War on (a) land policy, (b) banking, (c) tariff, and (d) industrial progress North and South.
“The currency legislation from the close of the Civil War was a series of compromises.” What compromises? Why? Resulting in what legislative Acts?
In how far has the protective tariff been a factor in the development of the textile industries of the United States? What other factors have been operative?

Take two of the following questions.

“Surpluses have spelled disaster to the United States.” Do you agree? When and how?
Do you defend or oppose the movement toward industrial combination? State your reasons.
(a) Trace the relation between the competition of the coastal cities and the development of transportation.
(b) Summarize the important provisions of the amendments to the Interstate Commerce Act?

Image Source: Edwin F. Gay in Harvard Class Album, 1915.

Tags Gay

Columbia President Butler Requests E.R.A. Seligman to Propose Names of Distinguished Economists for a British Chair in American History

Columbia University in the City of New York President’s Room

Copy of Seligman’s Response to Butler’s Request

First Year Economics Graduate Students, 1974-75 M.I.T. (Spring 1975)

ANALYSIS IN WONDERLAND

Composed and performed by the first-year economics graduate students at M.I.T. Second term, 1974-75

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

ACT IV

DIVISION OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEGREE OF PH.D. 1912-13

Charles Edward Persons.

Clyde Orval Ruggles.

Harold Hitchings Burbank.

John Alvin Bigham.

John Ise.

Lloyd Morgan Crosgrave.

Lucius Moody Bristol.

Yamato Ichihashi.

George Henry von Tungeln.

Eliot Jones.

Joseph Stancliffe Davis.

Ralph Emerson Heilman.

Rufus Stickney Tucker.

Courses at the University of Chicago in Econometrics, Mathematical Economics, Economic Theory, and Statistics*

Kenneth Arrow Recalls the Subordination of Price Theory at Columbia

Benjamin McA. Anderson, Economics: Los Angeles (1886-1949)

Course Announcement

Course Enrollment

Mid-year Examination

ECONOMICS A

Final Examination

ECONOMICS A

Course Announcement

Course Enrollment

Final Examination

ECONOMICS la1

Course Announcement

Course Enrollment

Course Final Exam

ECONOMICS 1b

Course Announcement

Course Enrollment

Final Examination

ECONOMICS 2b

Columbia University
in the City of New York
President’s Room

First Year Economics Graduate Students, 1974-75
M.I.T. (Spring 1975)

Composed and performed by the first-year economics graduate students at M.I.T.
Second term, 1974-75

DIVISION OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEGREE OF PH.D.
1912-13

Benjamin McA. Anderson, Economics: Los Angeles
(1886-1949)

ECONOMICS la¹