Sir Alan Turner Peacock DSC, FBA, FRSE (26 June 1922 – 2 August 2014) was an English economist.

Early life

Alan Turner Peacock was born in County Durham in 1922. He was the son of the scientist

Alexander David Peacock Alexander David Peacock FRSE (1886–1976) was a 20th-century British zoologist. Life He was born on 13 June 1886 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne the son of James Peacock, a grocer, and his wife, Jane Briggs. He was educated at Newcastle Royal Grammar Scho ...

, who in 1926 became Professor of Natural History at University College, Dundee (then part of the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

). On his father's appointment, the family moved to

Broughty Ferry Broughty Ferry (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Bruach Tatha''; Scots: ''Brochtie'') is a suburb of Dundee, Scotland. It is situated four miles east of the city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. The area was a separate burgh from 1864 until 191 ...

. He was educated at

Grove Academy Grove Academy is an 11–18 mixed secondary school in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland. History Grove Academy was established in 1889. In 2007, construction began on completely new buildings on the site of the Extension Buildings and huts. T ...

, the

High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

and the University of St Andrews, where he completed a war-shortened degree in economics and history.

Career

Having completed correspondence courses in economics while serving with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

during the Second World War, upon being demobilised Peacock resumed his studies at St Andrews, graduating with another degree in economics and political science in 1947. He then taught at St Andrews, the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

(where he also conducted the LSE Orchestra), the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

School of Economics In the history of economic thought, a school of economic thought is a group of economic thinkers who share or shared a common perspective on the way economies work. While economists do not always fit into particular schools, particularly in modern ...

, the University of York (where he founded the Department of Economics), the

University of Buckingham , mottoeng = Flying on Our Own Wings , established = 1973; as university college1983; as university , type = Private , endowment = , administrative_staff = 97 academic, 103 support , chanc ...

of which he was the

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

from 1980 to 1984,
and finally at Heriot-Watt University where he was honorary professor of public finance at the Edinburgh Business School until his death. From 1973 to 1976, Peacock was the Chief Economic Adviser to the Department of Trade and Industry of the United Kingdom. He was also a co-founder and the first Executive Director of the David Hume Institute. During the 1970s and 1980s, he played a leading role in the field of cultural economics. From 1984 to 1986, Peacock served as Chairman of the Committee on the Financing of the BBC ( Peacock Committee), the tenth major British inquiry into broadcasting. The Committee rejected

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

's wish to fund the BBC by advertising and proposed a sophisticated long-term strategy in which given a full broadcasting market with unlimited channels and freedom of entry, subscription would replace the licence fee. The model developed by Peacock later on served as a blueprint for Ofcom's Public Service Publisher.

Awards and fellowships

He was a Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

, the Accademia dei Lincei, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and was in addition an Honorary Fellow of the

Institute of Economic Affairs The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is a right-wing pressure group and think tank registered as a UK charity Associated with the New Right, the IEA describes itself as an "educational research institute", and says that it seeks to "further ...

. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his intelligence work in the Arctic Ocean during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and was knighted in 1987.

Books

His many academic books include ''The Economics of National Insurance'' (1952), ''The Economic Theory of Fiscal Policy'' (1971, co-author G. K. Shaw), ''Public Choice Analysis in Historical Perspective'' (1992), and ''The Political Economy of Economic Freedom'' (1997). He also authored four autobiographical volumes. In "The Enigmatic Sailor" (2003). Peacock treats his experiences and achievements as a sailor in naval intelligence during World War II for which he was awarded the DSC. ''Paying the Piper'' (1993) lays out his application of economics to understand the arts. In ''Anxious to do Good'' (2010) Peacock gives an account of his involvement in public policy, including the financing of the BBC. ''Defying Decrepitude'' (2013), a light-hearted account of the costs and benefits of retirement, was his last book.

Other interests

He was also a composer of music, and studied composition with the Austrian composer

Hans Gál Hans Gál OBE (5 August 1890 – 3 October 1987) was an Austrian composer, pedagogue, musicologist, and author, who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1938. Life Gál was born to a Jewish family in the small village of Brunn am Gebirge, Low ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock, Alan T. 1922 births 2014 deaths English economists People educated at Grove Academy People educated at the High School of Dundee Alumni of the University of St Andrews Academics of the London School of Economics Academics of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of York People associated with the University of Buckingham Academics of the University of Buckingham Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Academics of the University of St Andrews Royal Navy officers of World War II