Robert W. Fogel
Who was Robert W. Fogel?
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (1993)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Robert W. Fogel (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Robert William Fogel (1926-2013) was an American economic historian who changed the field by using quantitative methods in historical analysis. Born in New York City on July 1, 1926, Fogel was a key figure in the new economic history movement, known as cliometrics. His statistical approach to studying past economic events earned him recognition and fundamentally altered how scholars studied economic history.
Fogel was educated at several top institutions. He started at Stuyvesant High School in New York City, then attended Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University. This solid education in economics and historical methods prepared him well. He later joined the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, where he was the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of American Institutions and director of the Center for Population Economics until he passed away.
His notable work involved using statistical analysis to question accepted ideas about major historical topics. Fogel's research on American slavery and the economic role of railroads in the 19th century caused significant academic debate and showed how powerful quantitative methods can be in historical research. His findings on the economic efficiency of slavery and the relatively minor role railroads played in American economic development forced historians to rethink traditional views on these subjects.
Throughout his career, Fogel received many honors for his work in economics and history. In 1993, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, along with Douglass North, for revitalizing research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods to explain economic and institutional change. He also won the Bancroft Prize in 1975 and was recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association and a Fellow of the Econometric Society in 1971. Fogel died on June 11, 2013, in Oak Lawn, leaving a lasting impact on the field of economic history.
Before Fame
Growing up in New York City during the Great Depression, Fogel saw the economic challenges that would later shape his academic interests. His time at Stuyvesant High School, known for its tough academic standards, set him up for advanced studies in economics and statistics. After World War II, there was a growing interest in using scientific methods in social sciences, which supported Fogel's later groundbreaking work.
The rise of computers and advanced statistical methods in the 1950s and 1960s gave Fogel the tools he needed for his quantitative approach to history. During his graduate studies, some scholars were increasingly unhappy with the old storytelling methods of economic history, paving the way for his development of cliometric methods that would change the field.
Key Achievements
- Won the 1993 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for pioneering new economic history
- Founded the cliometrics movement, revolutionizing historical research methodology
- Received the Bancroft Prize in 1975 for outstanding work in American history
- Served as Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor at University of Chicago
- Transformed academic understanding of slavery and railroad economics through quantitative analysis
Did You Know?
- 01.Fogel's controversial research suggested that slavery was economically profitable and efficient, contradicting the prevailing view that it was economically backward
- 02.He calculated that without railroads, American GDP in 1890 would have been only 3.2% lower, challenging the traditional view of railroads as indispensable to economic growth
- 03.Fogel was one of the youngest economists ever to win the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences at age 67
- 04.His book 'Railroads and American Economic Growth' took him over a decade to complete and required analyzing thousands of pages of shipping records
- 05.Despite his quantitative focus, Fogel began his academic career studying philosophy before switching to economics
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences | 1993 | for having renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institutional change |
| Bancroft Prize | 1975 | — |
| Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association | — | — |
| Fellow of the Econometric Society | 1971 | — |
Nobel Prizes
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