Arthur Lewis (economist)

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W. Arthur Lewis
Born January 23, 1915(1915-01-23)
Died January 23, 1991 (aged 76)
Nationality Saint Lucia - England Flag of England
Fields Economics
Institutions LSE (1938-1948)
University of Manchester (1948-1958)
University of West Indies (1959-1963)
Prinston University (1963-1991)
Alma mater University of London
Doctoral advisor Sir Arnold Plant
Known for Industrial structure
History of the World Economy
Development Economics
Notable awards Nobel Prize in Economics (1979)
Religious stance Protestant

Sir William Arthur Lewis (January 23, 1915June 15, 1991) was a Saint Lucian economist well known for his contributions in the field of economic development. In 1979 he won the Nobel Prize in Economics, becoming the first black person to win a Nobel Prize in a category other than peace.

[edit] Biography

Lewis was born in Saint Lucia, then still a British territory in the Caribbean. After gaining his BSc. in 1937 and Ph.D. in 1940 at the London School of Economics, Lewis lectured at the University of Manchester before being appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies in 1959. In 1963 he was both knighted and appointed a University Professor (a position in which he would remain until his retirement in 1983) and in 1970 became director of the Caribbean Development Bank. He died on June 15, 1991 in Bridgetown, Barbados and was buried in the grounds of the St Lucian community college named in his honour.

Lewis' achievements have been recognised by the naming of "The Arthur Lewis Building" (opened in 2007) at the University of Manchester where he once lectured.


[edit] Sources

  • Biography
  • Breit, William and Barry T. Hirsch (Eds. 2004). Lives of the Laureates(4th ed.). Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-52450-3.

[edit] External links