STEVEN LANDSBURG
Steven Landsburg
Steven Landsburg (born 1954) is a libertarian American and professor of economics at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. From 1989 to 1994 he taught at Colorado State University.
Landsburg received a Master's degree from Rochester in 1974 and a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1979. He was promoted from adjunct associate professor to professor during the 2005-2006 academic year.
He also spent time at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. There, he came into contact with André Weil, renowned mathematician who Landsburg has described as a significant influence on his thinkings.
His journal articles have explored such diverse fields as algebraic K-theory, quantum game theory, module patching, the philosophy of science, and moral philosophy.
Landsburg's lighter musings have appeared in Forbes, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Recent prominent appearances include his review of Freakonomics in the Journal and a heated debate about protectionism with The Big Story host John Gibson on the Fox News Channel. Before the U.S. Presidential Election, 2004 Landsburg revealed that he planned to vote against John Kerry because of his belief that John Edwards, Kerry's running mate, was a "xenophobe" due to his opposition to free trade. He went on to compare the morality of Edwards' xenophobia to that of David Duke's racism.[1]
Currently he writes a monthly column on "everyday economics" for Slate magazine. The subject matter of the column is diverse, though often draws on current affairs: for example, he has discussed the national debt, the health crisis of obesity, payments to Hurricane Katrina evacuees in New Orleans and pay restrictions in the NFL. Alternatively, Landsburg dicusses recent research in micro-economics and its implications. In this vein, he has discussed the value of cell phone calls while driving, the (career) cost of motherhood and whether or not daughters (as opposed to sons) cause divorce. Landsburg has been particularly critical of environmentalism as usually considered, devoting both Slate columns and book chapters (in The Armchair Economist) to his case against. In much of his work, he has emphasized the importance of regarding economists as both scientists and highly specialized professionals.
He has also authored a textbook, Price Theory and Applications, that is one of the better sellers in the field.
For several years, Landsburg served on the board of directors of Hutchinson Technology, a manufacturer of suspension assemblies for disk drives.
Landsburg lives in Rochester, NY. In his spare time Landsburg reads poetry and enjoys crossword puzzles.
Professor Landsburg is most known at the University as the primary professor for the intermediate microeconomics course, ECO 207. Additionally, he regularly teaches a course which deals with more advanced microeconomic theory. He also has occasionally instructed intermediate macroeconomics and an introductory course.
Books by Steven Landsburg
- Fair Play
- The Armchair Economist
- Price Theory and Applications
- Macroeconomics
- A Mathematical Introduction to General Relativity and Cosmology (unreleased)
- More Sex is Safer Sex, and Other Surprises (upcoming)
External links
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