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InSTePP Lectures
RUTTAN LECTURE on Science and Development Policy This distinguished lecture is held annually in honor of Vernon W. Ruttan who served on the U.S. Council of Economic prior to joining the Department of Applied Economics in 1965 where he is now a Regents' Professor Emeritus. His seminal research on induced innovation, science policy and economic development is of international renown. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The annual Ruttan Lecture is held as part of The Minnesota Lectures on Applied Economics and Policy, a four-part lecture series presents internationally recognized speakers addressing important economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and technology. The Minnesota Lectures honor four distinguished faculty members from the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.
Inaugural Lecture
"Institutions and Economic Growth: Making Sense of the Relationship"
Richard R. Nelson October 18, 2006
There now is widespread agreement among economists that having the right institutions is the key to a nation's economic productivity and progressiveness. However, if one looks behind this apparent consonance of understandings, one can see that there is far from unanimity regarding just what the term “institutions” is supposed to mean, or about the way that institutions relate to economic growth, or about how a nation can get the right set of institutions. In short, the term “institutions” presently seems to be serving as a “placeholder” in the evolving theory of economic growth, much as the term “total factor productivity” did a number of years ago. The objective of this essay is to propose a way of conceptualizing what institutions are, how they relate to economic activity, and how they change over time, that in my view has the promise of making sense out of a growth theory in which institutions play the key role. About Richard R. Nelson His research has concentrated on the processes of long-run economic change, with particular emphasis on technological advances and on the evolution of economic institutions. Some of his publications include The Sources of Economic Growth, (Harvard University Press, 2000), The Sources of Industrial Leadership (Cambridge University Press, 1999), National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Analysis (Oxford University Press, 1993), and An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change, (Harvard University Press; Reprint edition, 1985). Professor Nelson holds a BA from Oberlin College. He obtained his PhD in 1956 from Yale University. From 1956 to 1957 he was an Assistant Professor at Oberlin College, and from 1968 to 1986 a Professor at Yale University. He has also served as an Economist at The Rand Corporation (1957-1960, 1963-1968), a Senior Member at the Council of Economic Advisors (1961-1963). Between 1981 and 1986 he was appointed the Director of the Institute for Social and Policy Studies. For more information on this or any Ruttan Lecture, call 612-625-8779. Staff Paper Series [InSTePP Paper 07-01] (PDF format)
Image Gallery:
Inaugral Vernon W. Ruttan Lecture 2006
Occasional Lectures (None scheduled at this time.) |
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Richard
R. Nelson is George Blumenthal Professor of International and Public Affairs,
Business, and Law (Emeritus) and, presently, Director of the Center for Science
Technology and Global Development at The Earth Institute, Columbia University,
New York, New York.
