Passion and Craft : Economists at Work

Most celebrities have to wait until the end of their careers to publish their autobiographies. Here, twenty economists in mid-career (nineteen scholars and an economics journalist) bring together personal accounts of their work and lives. The contributors were asked to elaborate on their methods of working and their private thoughts. The result is a rich set of biographies, addressing issues such as the effects of politics on work and vice versa, family life, creativity in and inspired by the workplace, the study of law and economics, and the conducting of research, and the role of women in this male-dominated field. The contributing economists represent a wide range of endeavors in economics such as research, education, law, and journalism, and include Francine D. Blau, David Colander, William Darity, Jr., Avinash Dixit, Benjamin M. Friedman, Claudia Goldin, David M. Gordon, Elhanan Helpman, Paul Krugman, William M. Landes, N. Gregory Mankiw, Deirdre N. McCloskey, Rachel McCulloch, Philip Mirowski, Roger B. Myerson, Susan Rose-Ackerman, Richard Schmalensee, Hal R. Varian, David Warsh, and Gavin Wright. Michael Szenberg provides an introduction. Passion and Craft provides a fascinating glimpse into the minds and lives of some of the most interesting economists of our time. It will be inspiring reading for economists as well as all other social scientists, students considering a career in economics, and anyone interested in how great minds work. Passion and Craft is a worthy sequel to Eminent Economists. It should be of greatest interest to young scholars who want to know what it is like to 'do economics' and to senior economists who will learn how things have changed (or have they?). --Victor R. Fuchs, Stanford University Michael Szenberg is Director, Center for Applied Research, and Professor of Economics, Lubin School of Business, Pace University. He also serves as editor of The American Economist.