Background
Douglas, Paul Howard was born on March 26, 1892 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Son of James Howard and Annie (Smith) Douglas.
Douglas, Paul Howard was born on March 26, 1892 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Son of James Howard and Annie (Smith) Douglas.
Douglas graduated from Bowdoin College with a Phi Beta Kappa key in 1913. He then moved on to Columbia University, where he earned a master's degree in 1915 and a Ph.D. in economics in 1921.
A pioneer econometrician whose work had as its starting point the marginal productivity theory of his teacher, John Bates Clark. In cooperation with Charles West. Cobb, he was responsible for the now famous ‘Cobb-Douglas’ production function. His work at Chicago as a teacher enabled him to organise research projects designed to test the marginal productivity theory of distribution.
The Theory of Wages contains his main contribution to this field
As Senator for Illinois for almost 20 years, he drafted and fought for the passage of a number of important pieces of economic legislation. Teacher Economics, University Illinois, 1916-1917, Reed College, 1917-1918, University Washington, 1919-1920. Professor, University Chicago 1920-1949, Amherst College, 1924-1927, New School Social Research, New York,
1967-1969.
Douglas is probably best-known to economics students as the co-author of the 1928 article with Charles Cobb that first laid out the Cobb-Douglas production function.
Douglas was listed as a supporter of banking reforms suggested by University of Chicago economists in 1933 that were later referred to as the "Chicago plan".In 1939, he coauthored with five other notable economists a draft proposal titled A Program for Monetary Reform. The Chicago plan and A Program for Monetary Reform generated much interest and discussion among lawmakers, but the suggested reforms did not result in any new legislation.
American Apprenticeship and Industrial Education, 1921. (with others) Worker in Modern Economic Society, 1923. Wages and the Family, 1925.(with others) Adam Smith (1776-1926), 1928. Real Wages in the United States (1890-1926), 1930. Economy in the National Government, 1952.America in the Market Place, 1966. Standards of Unemployment Insurance, 1933. The Theory of Wages, 1934.Controlling Depressions, 1935. Social Security in the United States, 1936. Ethics in Government, 1952.In Our Time, 1968
In the Fullness of Time, 1972. Co-author: Movement of Real Wages (1926-1928), 1930. The Problem of Unemployment, 1931.Contributor to American Economics Review, Journal Political Economy, Political Science Quarterly, others.
Clubs: Federal City (Washington).
Married Dorothy S. Wolff, 1915 (divorced 1930).; married Emily Taft, 1931. Children: Helen (Mistress.