Sir Alexander Kirkland Cairncross (11 February 1911 – 21 October 1998) was a British economist. He was the brother of the spy
John Cairncross
John Cairncross (25 July 1913 – 8 October 1995) was a British civil servant who became an intelligence officer and spy during the Second World War. As a Soviet double agent, he passed to the Soviet Union the raw Tunny decryptions that influ ...
and father of journalist
Frances Cairncross
Dame Frances Anne Cairncross, (born 30 August 1944 in Otley, England) is a British economist, journalist and academic. She is a senior fellow at the School of Public Policy, UCLA.
She formerly chaired the executive committee of the Institute f ...
Cairncross was born in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, the seventh of eight children of Alexander Kirkland Cairncross, an ironmonger. He was educated at Lesmahagow Higher Grade School and
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
The school was described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, and was featured in a 1950 Scottish Seconda ...
, then won two scholarships to study economics at
Glasgow University
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. From there, he attained a further research studentship to study at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
, and in 1935 he was awarded the second PhD in economics bestowed by the university.
He became a lecturer in economics, under the influence of
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...
(author of ''The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money'' and one of the leading lights of the 1944
Bretton Woods Conference
The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Unite ...
, which saw the founding of 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 Inte ...
and the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
). 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 ...
, most of his work was in the Ministry of Aircraft Production, where he rose to become Director of Programmes. In 1946 he served briefly on the staff of ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'', and subsequently became adviser to the Board of Trade. He was seconded to be the economic adviser to the
Organisation for European Economic Co-operation
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in 1949. and he left to become Professor of Applied Economics at his old university, Glasgow, in 1951.
Cairncross was instrumental in founding the
Scottish Economic Society
The Scottish Economic Society (SES), known up to 1953 as the Scottish Society of Economists, is a scholarly society "promoting the study and teaching of economics." It is registered as a charity in Scotland (number SCO 21757).
Aims and activities ...
UK government
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(1961–64), Head of the
Government Economic Service
The Government Economic Service (GES) is a professional grouping of public sector economists who work across some 40 departments and agencies of His Majesty's Government (HMG). The GES Board is chaired by the Head of the GES and consists of gover ...
(1964–69) and
Master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of
St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is located in New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, United Kingdom. It occupies the site of two of the university's medieval halls, dating back to at least the 14th ...
(1969–78), Chancellor of the University of Glasgow (1972–96), and was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. At
Guildhall, Swansea
The Guildhall ( cy, Guildhall Abertawe) is one of the main office buildings of the City and County of Swansea Council. The Guildhall complex, which includes the City Hall, Brangwyn Hall (concert hall) and the County Law Courts for Swansea, is a ...
he gave the Presidential Address as President of the
British Association
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
for 1970–1971. Cairncross was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 1961.''Who's Who 1974'', London : A. & C. Black, 1974, p. 497. Cairncross also received an
Honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland
The Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (IESIS) is a multi-disciplinary professional body and learned society, founded in Scotland, for professional engineers in all disciplines and for those associated with or taking an interes ...
. He chose the subject "Economic Growth".
Recognition
The Scottish Economic Society instituted the Cairncross Prize in his memory.
Family and death
Cairncross married Mary Frances Glynn in 1943; the couple had five children: two daughters and three sons. He died in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on 21 October 1998.
Publications
* ''Introduction to Economics'' (1944, 1st ed.; 1973, 5th ed.)
*''Home and Foreign Investment, 1870-1913'' (1953)
*''Monetary Policy in a Mixed Economy'' (1960)
*''Economic Development and the Atlantic Provinces'' (1961)
*''Essays in Economic Management'' (1962)
*''Control over Long-Term Capital Movements'' (1973)
*''Britain's Economics Prospects Reconsidered'', ed. (1971)
*''Years of Recovery: British Economic Policy 1945-51'' (1985)
*'Goodbye, Great Britain': The 1976 IMF Crisis (1992) (with
Kathleen Burk
Kathleen Mildred Burk (born March 1946) is Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London. Her field of research is international history, especially politics, diplomacy and finance.
Early life and career
Burk g ...