Background
Robert Merton Solow was born on August 23, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He is a son of Milton and Hannah Gertrude Solow. He had two younger sisters.
2010
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Peter Diamond (center) stands with MIT President Susan Hockfield (L) and fellow MIT Professor and 1987 Economics Nobel Prize winner Robert Solow (R) after winning the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on October 11, 2010 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo by Darren McCollester
1982
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Robert M. Solow in his office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 7, 1982. Photo by Joe Dennehy
1987
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Robert Solow takes a phone call at his office at M.I.T. after winning the 1987 Nobel Prize for Economics.
2006
Jerusalem, Israel
Robert Solow, 1987 Nobel Prize for Economics, delivers his speech during a conference on June 20, 2006 in Jerusalem, Israel. Photo by Lior Mizrahi
2010
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Peter Diamond (center) stands with MIT President Susan Hockfield (L) and fellow MIT Professor and 1987 Economics Nobel Prize winner Robert Solow (R) after winning the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on October 11, 2010 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo by Darren McCollester
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
In 1947 Robert Merton Solow received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts degree in 1949 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1951.
American economist Robert Solow wins the 1987 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his analysis of economic growth. Photo by Ira Wyman
American economist Robert Solow wins the 1987 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his analysis of economic growth. Photo by Ira Wyman
(The publication of the first edition in 1970 coincided wi...)
The publication of the first edition in 1970 coincided with a worldwide productivity slowdown; during that time very little work occurred on growth theory. It wasn't until the 1980s that a surge of new research appeared, including the work of Roemer, Lucas, Grossman/Helpman, Aghion, and Howitt. The second half of the book deals with this relatively recent surge, often referred to as "the new endogenous growth theory." As a bridge to the six new chapters, Solow includes an essay entitled "Intermezzo" in which he discusses this transition. The author recasts his model to help the reader compare the relationships among all models; he deals rather tersely, for reasons explained in the book, with "AK" theory, convergence, and international cross-section studies rather tersely. The author concludes by drawing some lessons from the new growth theory and suggests where gaps may be filled in future research. Although Solow disagrees strongly with much of the recent research, he is quick to acknowledge some of its outstanding contributions.
https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Theory-Exposition-Robert-Solow/dp/0195109031/?tag=2022091-20
1970
(Nobel Laureate Robert Solow explores how changes in socia...)
Nobel Laureate Robert Solow explores how changes in social accounting practice could contribute to more rational debate and action in crafting economic and environmental policy. A thoughtful work about the wise use of society's natural resources, intergenerational equity, and the translation of ideas about sustainability into real policy.
https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Practical-Step-Toward-Sustainability-ebook/dp/B00M1TESRE/?tag=2022091-20
1992
(This book by a Nobel laureate in economics begins with a ...)
This book by a Nobel laureate in economics begins with a brief exposition of Kenneth J. Arrow's classic paper "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing" (1962). It shows how Arrow's idea fits into the modern theory of economic growth, and uses it as a springboard for a critical consideration of spectacular recent developments that have made growth theory a dynamic topic today. The author then develops a new theory that combines learning by doing (identifying it with the concept of "continuous improvement") with a separate process of discrete "innovations."
https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Doing-Lessons-Economic-Lectures/dp/0804728402/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(In Monopolistic Competition and Macroeconomic Theory, Pro...)
In Monopolistic Competition and Macroeconomic Theory, Professor Solow gives a nontechnical account of the implications of monopolistic competition on macroeconomic theory and shows that simple and tractable micro-based models can offer the possibility of a richer and more intuitive macroeconomics.
https://www.amazon.com/Monopolistic-Competition-Macroeconomic-Federico-Lectures/dp/0521623383/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(The connection between price inflation and real economic ...)
The connection between price inflation and real economic activity has been a focus of macroeconomic research - and debate - for much of the past century. Although this connection is crucial to our understanding of what monetary policy can and cannot accomplish, opinions about its basic properties have swung widely over the years. Today, virtually everyone studying monetary policy acknowledges that, contrary to what many modern macroeconomic models suggest, central bank actions often affect both inflation and measures of real economic activity, such as output, unemployment, and incomes. But the nature and magnitude of these effects are not yet understood. In this volume, Robert M. Solow and John B. Taylor present their views on the dilemmas facing U.S. monetary policymakers. The discussants are Benjamin M. Friedman, James K. Galbraith, N. Gregory Mankiw, and William Poole. The aim of this lively exchange of views is to make both an intellectual contribution to macroeconmics and a practical contribution to the solution of a public policy question of central importance.
https://www.amazon.com/Inflation-Unemployment-Monetary-Policy-Symposium/dp/0262692228/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(The Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Solow directs hi...)
The Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Solow directs his attention here to one of today's most controversial social issues: how to get people off welfare and into jobs. With characteristic eloquence, wit, and rigor, Solow condemns the welfare reforms recently passed by Congress and President Clinton for confronting welfare recipients with an unworkable choice - finding work in the current labor market or losing benefits. He argues that the only practical and fair way to move recipients to work is, in contrast, through an ambitious plan to guarantee that every able-bodied citizen has access to a job.
https://www.amazon.com/Welfare-University-Center-Human-Values-ebook/dp/B001SAQWYY/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(Providing illuminating profiles of ninety of the world’s ...)
Providing illuminating profiles of ninety of the world’s most prominent economists - from Nobel Prize winners and former Federal Reserve chairs to young scholars charting the future of the field - this stunning volume pairs full-page portraits by acclaimed photographer Mariana Cook with short essays written by the sitters in response to questions posed by Nobel Laureate Robert M. Solow about their work. Together, the words and photographs offer a unique look into the world of economists and serve as an accessible entry point into the views shaping policy and research decisions by such luminaries as Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, Mario Draghi, Steven Levitt, Robert Shiller, Esther Duflo, Paul Krugman, and Susan Athey, among many others. Providing illuminating profiles of ninety of the world’s most prominent economists - from Nobel Prize winners and former Federal Reserve chairs to young scholars charting the future of the field - this stunning volume pairs full-page portraits by acclaimed photographer Mariana Cook with short essays written by the sitters in response to questions posed by Nobel Laureate Robert M. Solow about their work. Together, the words and photographs offer a unique look into the world of economists and serve as an accessible entry point into the views shaping policy and research decisions by such luminaries as Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, Mario Draghi, Steven Levitt, Robert Shiller, Esther Duflo, Paul Krugman, and Susan Athey, among many others.
https://www.amazon.com/Economists-Robert-M-Solow/dp/0300249977/?tag=2022091-20
2020
Robert Merton Solow was born on August 23, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He is a son of Milton and Hannah Gertrude Solow. He had two younger sisters.
In 1947 Robert Merton Solow received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts degree in 1949 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1951.
From 1949 to 1958 Robert Merton Solow was an assistant professor in the economics department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a professor of economics from 1958 to 1973 and the Institute Professor from 1973 to 1995. In 1995 he became the Institute Professor Emeritus. From 1961 to 1962 he served as a senior staff economist on President Kennedy’s Council of Economic Advisors.
In 1964 he was a president of Econometric Society. In 1970 he served as a vice president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a president in 1979. From 1974 to 1980 Solow was a member and chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Most of his works and theories are based on the theory of economic growth, topic that he has studied and analyzed thoroughly. In 1987 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, for his works on economic growth.
In the Solow–Swan growth model, he determines long term economic growth using productivity, capital accumulation, population growth, and technological progress, as main variables. Solow sustains in his paper "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth", that savings play a key role in economic growth, both as a positive factor since it allows further investment, but also as a negative issue since it can diminish the welfare of economic agents by diminishing consumption.
(Providing illuminating profiles of ninety of the world’s ...)
2020(In Monopolistic Competition and Macroeconomic Theory, Pro...)
1998(Nobel Laureate Robert Solow explores how changes in socia...)
1992(The Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Solow directs hi...)
1998(The publication of the first edition in 1970 coincided wi...)
1970(The connection between price inflation and real economic ...)
1998(This book by a Nobel laureate in economics begins with a ...)
1997Robert Merton Solow is not a religious person.
Robert Merton Solow is the co-founder of the Cournot Foundation and the Cournot Centre. The Cournot Foundation is a a non-profit organization, which involved in financing postdoctoral programs, creating co-disciplinary chairs and organizing sabbaticals for famous researchers. The Cournot Centre is an independent French-based research institute. It is supported by the Cournot Foundation, which operates under the Fondation de France.
Quotations: "It is a good idea to be ambitious, to have goals, to want to be good at what you do, but it is a terrible mistake to let drive and ambition get in the way of treating people with kindness and decency. The point is not that they will then be nice to you. It is that you will feel better about yourself."
Robert Merton Solow is a member of the American Economic Association and the Council of the National Academy of Sciences.
On August 19, 1945, Robert Merton Solow married Barbara Muriel Lewis, an economic historian. They have three children: John, Andrew, Katherine. She died in 2014.