Robert Henry Nelson (1944 – December 15, 2018) was an American economist who was professor of environmental policy in the

University of Maryland School of Public Policy The Maryland School of Public Policy is one of 14 schools at the University of Maryland, College Park. The school is located inside the Capital Beltway and ranks 16th nationally for schools of public policy according to '' U.S. News & World Report ...

and a senior fellow of the

Independent Institute The Independent Institute is an American libertarian think tank based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1986 by David J. Theroux, the institute focuses on political, social, economic, legal, environmental, and foreign policy issues. It has more ...

. He authored over 100 journal articles and edited book chapters, as well as nine books. Nelson was a nationally recognized authority in areas including the management of

public land In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Australia, and Canada). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countrie ...

and

zoning in the United States Zoning in the United States includes various land use laws falling under the police power rights of state governments and local governments to exercise authority over privately owned real property. Zoning laws in major cities originated with the ...

, but is best known for his books about the relationship between

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

, and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. In a review of ''Economics As Religion: From Samuelson to Chicago and Beyond'', economist

Robert Tollison Robert D. Tollison (1942–October 24, 2016) was an American economist who specialized in public choice theory. Education A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Tollison attended local Wofford College where he earned an A.B. in business admini ...

wrote that "Nelson's basic thesis is that economics is more like a religion than a science. In fact, he argues that economics in the twentieth century has virtually supplanted organized religion with a creed of material progress." Economist

David Colander David Charles Colander (born November 16, 1947) is an American economist, and the Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Economics at Middlebury College. He is known for his study of the economics profession itself and socioeconomics. Hi ...

described ''Reaching for Heaven on Earth: The Theological Meaning of Economics'' as arguing that "the economics profession is the priesthood of a powerful secular religion." Nelson's book ''The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion versus Environmental Religion'' was silver medal winner in the “Finance, Investment, Economics” category of the 2010

Independent Publisher Book Awards The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual book awards for independently published titles. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Awards ar ...

Books

* ''The Use and Management of Federal Coal'' (PERC, 2017) * ''God? Very Probably: Five Rational Ways to Think about the Question of a God'' (Cascade Books, 2015) * ''The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion versus Environmental Religion in Contemporary America'' (Penn State University Press, 2010) * ''Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government'' (Urban Institute Press, 2005) * ''Economics as Religion: From Samuelson to Chicago and Beyond'' (Penn State University Press, 2001) * ''A Burning Issue: A Case for Abolishing the U.S. Forest Service'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2000) * ''Public Lands and Private Rights: The Failure of Scientific Management'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 1995) * ''Reaching for Heaven on Earth: The Theological Meaning of Economics'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 1991) * ''The Making of Federal Coal Policy'' (Duke University Press, 1983) * ''Zoning and Property Rights'' (MIT Press, 1977)

References

21st-century American economists 1944 births 2018 deaths {{US-economist-stub