Much has been noted and posted across traditional and social media regarding the contributions and reception of the work of Robert Solow who died on December 21, 2023. I was one of the legion of economics apprentices (a.k.a. graduate students) whom Bob Solow introduced to the art and craft of summoning meaning from the chaos of everyday trends and fluctuations. Economics in the Rear-view Mirror has, to date, posted transcriptions of sixteen archival artifacts from his M.I.T. work-and-play-ground.
Bob Solow was like a favorite uncle to those lucky enough to have had him as a teacher. 99 years was one helluva long-run and besides having been a great economist, he was a good man.
A great interview from March 3, 2023: Robert Solow on growing up in Brooklyn, fighting Nazis, and everything that came after.
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Solow at Work
Course Outline of Economic Statistics. Robert Solow, 1960
Advanced Economic Theory (Capital and growth). Solow and Phelps, 1962
Advanced Economic Theory Course, Solow, 1962
Advanced Economic Theory. Uncertainty and Capital Theory. Readings and Exam. Solow, 1965
Economic Growth and Fluctuations. Readings and Midterm Exam. Solow, 1966
Suggestions for New Fields. Domar, Kuh, Solow, Adelman, 1967
Core Economic Growth and Dynamics. Readings and Final Exam. Solow, 1968
Student evaluations of second term core macroeconomics. Solow, Foley. 1967-70
Applied Price Theory Readings. Robert Solow, 1971 or 1972
Core Dynamic Macro Half-course. Readings and exam. Solow, 1973
Capital theory. Course outline, suggested readings. Solow, 1975
Solow at Play
Dystopian Faculty Skit by Solow, 1969
Economics faculty M*A*S*H theme skit. Robert Solow, 1977
Faculty skit. Robert Solow as the 2000 year old economist, ca. 1979-80
Rewrite of 1940s blues hit “Why don’t you do right, like some other men do”. Solow, ca. 1983-84
Robert Solow’s Last Skit. “Dr Rudi Tells You How”, Late 1980s.