Alice Hoffenberg Amsden (June 27, 1943 – March 14, 2012) was a
political economist
Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour mar ...
and scholar of state-led economic development. For the last two decades of her career, she was the Barton L. Weller Professor of Political Economy at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
.
Amsden was known best for her work on the
developmental state
Developmental state, or hard state, is a term used by international political economy scholars to refer to the phenomenon of state-led macroeconomic planning in East Asia in the late 20th century. In this model of capitalism (sometimes referred to ...
, which argued that state-led industrialization was a viable alternative to the market-oriented industrialization of North America and Europe. Her scholarship focused on the catch-up of
late-industrializing economies, particularly the "
Asian Tigers." Amsden found their growth was accomplished through government intervention that established
price control
Price controls are restrictions set in place and enforced by governments, on the prices that can be charged for goods and services in a market. The intent behind implementing such controls can stem from the desire to maintain affordability of good ...
and
import substitution
Import substitution industrialization (ISI) is a trade and economic policy that advocates replacing foreign imports with domestic production.''A Comprehensive Dictionary of Economics'' p.88, ed. Nelson Brian 2009. It is based on the premise that ...
policies, promoted
organizational learning
Organizational learning is the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within an organization. An organization improves over time as it gains experience. From this experience, it is able to create knowledge. This knowledge is bro ...
, and arranged "reciprocal control mechanisms" between states and private firms. Her work is viewed as a rebuttal of the
Washington Consensus
The Washington Consensus is a set of ten economic policy prescriptions considered to constitute the "standard" reform package promoted for crisis-wracked developing countries by Washington, D.C.-based institutions such as the International Monet ...
and neoclassical economic theories that sought to restrain state intervention in the developmental process.
Life and career
Born in New York City, Amsden received her undergraduate degree from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
and her PhD from the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
. Amsden began her career as an economist at the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
(OECD) and taught at
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
,
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
,
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
and
The New School
The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...
before being appointed professor at MIT in 1994. She remained in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning until her death in 2012.
In addition to teaching and writing, she was a consultant to the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, OECD and various organizations within the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. In 2002, she was awarded the Leontief Prize by the
Global Development and Environment Institute
The Global Development And Environment Institute (GDAE, pronounced “gee-day”) is a research center at Tufts University founded in 1993. GDAE conducts research and develops teaching materials in economics and related areas that follow an interdi ...
and was named one of the top 50 visionaries by ''
Scientific American
''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
'' for her premise that one-size-fits-all economic policies are ill-suited for poor countries looking to become industrialized. In 2009, she was appointed by the United Nations secretary-general to a 3-year seat on the U.N. Committee on Development Policy, a subsidiary of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The 24-member committee provides inputs and independent advice to the council on emerging cross-sectoral development issues and on international cooperation for development.
Amsden wrote several books about the industrialization of developing countries. Her work emphasized the importance of the state as a facilitator and guide of economic development. She also saw
knowledge
Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...
as a crucial determinant of economic growth. Her books include ''Asia's Next Giant: South Korea and
Late Industrialisation Alice Amsden, building on the insights of Gerschenkron, identifies Late Industrialization as a particular form of industrialization the study of which is useful for those interested in study of the prospects for material progress in developing co ...
'' and ''The Rise of the Rest''. In the former she concentrated on the development of South Korea and in the latter she compared the experiences of several developing countries—mostly East Asian and Latin American countries.
In 2012, Amsden died suddenly at her home in Cambridge at the age of 68.
Books
In addition to numerous journal articles, Amsden published:
* ''The Role of Elites in Economic Development'', Oxford University Press, 2012, (with Alisa Di Caprio and
James A. Robinson).
* ''Escape from Empire: The Developing World's Journey through Heaven and Hell'', MIT Press, 2007.
* ''Beyond Late Development: Taiwan's Upgrading Policies'', MIT Press, 2003, (with Wan Wen Chu).
* ''The Rise of "The Rest": Challenges to the West From Late-Industrializing Economies'', Oxford University Press, 2001.
* ''The Market Meets Its Match: Restructuring the Economies of Eastern Europe'', Harvard University Press, 1994 (with Jacek Kochanowicz and Lance Taylor).
* ''Asia's Next Giant: South Korea and Late Industrialization'', Oxford University Press, 1989. Awarded "Best Book in Political Economy," American Political Science Association, 1992.
References
External links
Winner of the 2002 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic ThoughtColumn archiveat ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
''
*
MIT 2012 Memorial SymposiumSpecial Issue of ''Journal of Regions, Economy and Society'' on Amsden's contributions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amsden, Alice
Cornell University alumni
Alumni of the London School of Economics
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
Barnard College faculty
Harvard Business School faculty
MIT School of Architecture and Planning faculty
The New School faculty
Economists from New York (state)
American women economists
American development economists
2012 deaths
1943 births
21st-century American women