E. Roy Weintraub
Encyclopedia
E. Roy Weintraub is an American economist and mathematician. He works as a Professor of Economics in Duke University
.
Weintraub was trained as a mathematician
though his professional career has been as an economist
. In recent years his research and teaching activities have focused upon the history of the interconnection between mathematics and economics in the twentieth century. This work, in the history of economics
, has helped shape the understanding of economists and historians: his General Equilibrium Theory (1985), Stabilizing Dynamics (1991), Toward a History of Game Theory (ed.) (1992) and How Economics Became a Mathematical Science (2002) have charted the transformation of economics from a historical to a mathematical discipline. A former President of the History of Economics Society, he is the author of seven books, editor of three others, and has published numerous articles in professional journals and edited volumes. His books have been variously translated into Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Hungarian, and Italian. Currently he is Associate Editor of the journals History of Political Economy and the Economics Bulletin, and Co-Editor of the book series Science and Cultural Theory]
He has held visiting positions at the University of Hawaii
, UCLA, the University of Rome, the University of Bristol
, and the University of Venice
. He has been one of the few economists honored by a fellowship year at the National Humanities Center
. At Duke he was Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics from 1972 to 1983, Chair of that department from 1983 to 1987, Acting Director of the Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences in 1987, Director of the Center for Social and Historical Studies of Science from 1995–1999, and has twice chaired the Academic Council. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He has served terms on the Advisory Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure, the Academics Priorities Committee, the Faculty Compensation Committee, and has chaired the President's Advisory Committee on Resources. He served for many years as a pre-major advisor and a teacher of first-year seminars, and has been Director of the Honors Program for the Department of Economics, and Faculty Fellow in the former Edens Federation for Residential Life. In 1992 he won the Howard Johnson Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.
A native of the Philadelphia area, Professor Weintraub received his A.B.
in mathematics
from Swarthmore College
, and the M.S.
and Ph.D.
in applied mathematics
from the University of Pennsylvania
. His Ph.D. thesis advisors were Lawrence Klein
and Herbert Wilf
.
He joined the Duke University faculty in 1970 following a first academic position at Rutgers University
. He lives with his family in Durham, North Carolina
.
E. Roy Weintraub is the son of the economist Sidney Weintraub
.
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Weintraub was trained as a mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
though his professional career has been as an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
. In recent years his research and teaching activities have focused upon the history of the interconnection between mathematics and economics in the twentieth century. This work, in the history of economics
History of economic thought
The history of economic thought deals with different thinkers and theories in the subject that became political economy and economics from the ancient world to the present day...
, has helped shape the understanding of economists and historians: his General Equilibrium Theory (1985), Stabilizing Dynamics (1991), Toward a History of Game Theory (ed.) (1992) and How Economics Became a Mathematical Science (2002) have charted the transformation of economics from a historical to a mathematical discipline. A former President of the History of Economics Society, he is the author of seven books, editor of three others, and has published numerous articles in professional journals and edited volumes. His books have been variously translated into Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Hungarian, and Italian. Currently he is Associate Editor of the journals History of Political Economy and the Economics Bulletin, and Co-Editor of the book series Science and Cultural Theory]
He has held visiting positions at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, UCLA, the University of Rome, the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, and the University of Venice
University of Venice
Ca' Foscari University is a university in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1868 as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city...
. He has been one of the few economists honored by a fellowship year at the National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
. At Duke he was Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics from 1972 to 1983, Chair of that department from 1983 to 1987, Acting Director of the Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences in 1987, Director of the Center for Social and Historical Studies of Science from 1995–1999, and has twice chaired the Academic Council. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He has served terms on the Advisory Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure, the Academics Priorities Committee, the Faculty Compensation Committee, and has chaired the President's Advisory Committee on Resources. He served for many years as a pre-major advisor and a teacher of first-year seminars, and has been Director of the Honors Program for the Department of Economics, and Faculty Fellow in the former Edens Federation for Residential Life. In 1992 he won the Howard Johnson Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.
A native of the Philadelphia area, Professor Weintraub received his A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, and the M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. His Ph.D. thesis advisors were Lawrence Klein
Lawrence Klein
Lawrence Robert Klein is an American economist. For his work in creating computer models to forecast economic trends in the field of econometrics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1980...
and Herbert Wilf
Herbert Wilf
Herbert Saul Wilf is a mathematician, specializing in combinatorics and graph theory. He was the Thomas A. Scott Professor of Mathematics in Combinatorial Analysis and Computing at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written numerous books and research papers...
.
He joined the Duke University faculty in 1970 following a first academic position at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. He lives with his family in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
.
E. Roy Weintraub is the son of the economist Sidney Weintraub
Sidney Weintraub
Sidney Weintraub was one of the most prominent American members of the Post Keynesian school in economics.-External links:*...
.
Major works
- General Equilibrium Theory (1974)
- Conflict and Cooperation in Economics (1975)
- Microfoundations (1979)
- Mathematics for Economists (1982)
- General Equilibrium Analysis: Studies in Appraisal (1985)
- Stabilizing Dynamics: Constructing Economic Knowledge (1991)
- Towards a History of Game Theory (ed.) (1993)
- How Economics Became a Mathematical Science (2002)
- The Future of the History of Economics (ed.) (2003)
- Economists' Lives: Biography and Autobiography in the History of Economics (ed. with Evelyn Forget) (2007)