Melvin J. Hinich
Encyclopedia
Melvin Jay "Mel" Hinich (April 29, 1939 - September 6, 2010), was the Mike Hogg Professor of Local Government and a professor
of government
and economics
at the University of Texas at Austin
. Hinich was also a research professor at UT's Applied Research Laboratories. Known as an expert in political science
with a long record of distinction in a number of fields, he wrote seven books and published more than 200 papers in statistics
/statistical theory
, signal processing
, economics, political science, biomedical engineering
, pharmacy
, and library science
.
. In 1966, he married Sonje Gregg and the couple had a daughter, Amy Leksana.
where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics
in 1959 as well as an M.S. in Mathematics in 1960. In 1963, he earned a Ph.D.
in Statistics
from Stanford University
. Hinich's advisor while at Stanford was Herman Chernoff
.
, Society for Nonlinear Dynamics and Econometrics
, Journal of the American Statistical Association
, and Journal of Mathematical Sociology. He became a fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
in 1973, a fellow of the Public Choice Society in 1988, and was president of that organization from 1992-1994. Hinich was elected as a fellow of the American Statistical Association
in 2002.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. Hinich was also a research professor at UT's Applied Research Laboratories. Known as an expert in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
with a long record of distinction in a number of fields, he wrote seven books and published more than 200 papers in statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
/statistical theory
Statistical theory
The theory of statistics provides a basis for the whole range of techniques, in both study design and data analysis, that are used within applications of statistics. The theory covers approaches to statistical-decision problems and to statistical inference, and the actions and deductions that...
, signal processing
Signal processing
Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
, economics, political science, biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
, pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, and library science
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
.
Biography
Hinich was born on April 29, 1939 in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. In 1966, he married Sonje Gregg and the couple had a daughter, Amy Leksana.
Education
Hinich attended Carnegie Institute of TechnologyCarnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
where he earned a B.S. 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...
in 1959 as well as an M.S. in Mathematics in 1960. In 1963, he earned a 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 Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Hinich's advisor while at Stanford was Herman Chernoff
Herman Chernoff
Herman Chernoff is an American applied mathematician, statistician and physicist formerly a professor at MIT and currently working at Harvard University.-Education:* Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, 1948. Brown University....
.
Editorial experience and professional affiliations
At various times throughout his career, Hinich served as an associate editor for Macroeconomic DynamicsMacroeconomic Dynamics
Macroeconomic Dynamics is a peer-reviewed academic journal which publishes articles in macroeconomics. MD is edited by William A. Barnett and published by Cambridge University Press...
, Society for Nonlinear Dynamics and Econometrics
Berkeley Electronic Press
The Berkeley Electronic Press, also known as Bepress, is an electronic publishing firm which was founded by academics in 1999. It is dedicated to producing products and services to aid scholarly communication, including institutional repositories, subject matter repositories, working paper series,...
, Journal of the American Statistical Association
Journal of the American Statistical Association
The Journal of the American Statistical Association is the most prestigious journal published by the American Statistical Association, the main professional body for statisticians in the United States...
, and Journal of Mathematical Sociology. He became a fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Institute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts of the world...
in 1973, a fellow of the Public Choice Society in 1988, and was president of that organization from 1992-1994. Hinich was elected as a fellow of the American Statistical Association
American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association , is the main professional US organization for statisticians and related professions. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest, continuously operating professional society in the United States...
in 2002.
Death
Hinich died on September 6, 2010 after falling down a staircase. He was survived by his wife and daughter.Books
- The Spatial Theory of Voting: An Introduction (with J. Enelow), Cambridge University Press, January (1984)
- Advances in the Spatial Theory of Voting, J. Enelow and M. J. Hinich (eds.), Cambridge University Press (1990)
- Political Economy: Institutions, Competition, and Representation, W. Barnett, M. J. Hinich, and N. J. Schofield (eds.), Cambridge University Press (1993).
- Ideology and the Theory of Political Choice, (with M. C. Munger), University of Michigan Press, (1994)
- Analytical Politics (with M.C. Munger) Cambridge University Press, (1997). Empirical Studies in Comparative Politics, (with M.C. Munger) Kluwer Academic Publishers,(1999)
- Topics in Analytical Political Economy, M. J. Hinich and W. Barnett (editors), Elsevier, Oxford (ISBN: 978-0-444-53137-7) (2007)
- Consumer Protection Legislation and the U. S. Food Industry (with R. Staelin), Pergamon Press, (1980).
- Introduction to Continuous Probability Theory, (with K. D. MacKenzie), Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., (1969).