Biography
Leonid Hurwicz — econ (nobel) with roots in the Russian Empire
Leonid Hurwicz was a Polish-American economist born in Moscow in 1917. He originated the concept of incentive compatibility and founded mechanism design theory; on receiving the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2007, aged 90, he became the oldest Nobel laureate up to that time.
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — Moscow (Russia)
Born in Moscow on 21 August 1917 to a family of Polish Jews, a few months before the October Revolution, under the Provisional Government; the family soon returned to Warsaw. He later lived in London, moved to Switzerland and then Portugal, and in 1940 emigrated to the United States.
Family Tree
Subject
Leonid Hurwicz🇺🇸 USA
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Origin
Moscow (Russia)🇷🇺 Russian Empire
Historical context
Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917
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Moscow (Russia). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Nobel Prize in Economics (2007) at 90 — the oldest laureate at that time
02
Founded mechanism design theory; originated the concept of incentive compatibility
03
University of Minnesota from 1951; Regents' Professor of Economics from 1969
04
Research associate of the Cowles Commission (1942–1946)
05
National Medal of Science (1990)
Sources