50th Anniversary Celebration

Abstracted from Cowles Fiftieth Anniversary Volume, edited by Alvin K. Klevorick:

The Cowles Commission for Research in Economics was founded in 1932 by Alfred Cowles in collaboration with a group of economists, mathematicians, and statisticians who were concerned with applying quantitative techniques to economics and related social sciences. As stated in the original Articles of Incorporation, "The particular purpose and business for which said corporation is formed is to educate and benefit its members and mankind, and to advance the scientific study and development ... of economic theory in its relation to mathematics and statistics." The Cowles Commission was formally chartered as a not-for-profit corporation in Colorado on September 9, 1932. In 1939 it relocated to the University of Chicago and then, in 1955, moved to Yale University where it was renamed The Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics at Yale University.

To celebrate the first fifty years of the Cowles research organization’s contributions, the Cowles Foundation invited four distinguished economists to prepare essays on the various areas in which research at Cowles has been concentrated. These four scholars, Kenneth J. Arrow, Gerard Debreu, Edmond Malinvaud, and Robert M. Solow, presented their papers at the conference held at Yale University on June 3–4, 1983 to commemorate the Cowles research group’s fiftieth anniversary.

This volume presents the four essays that were prepared for the Cowles Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration. Also contained is a listing of the monographs, published papers, and discussion papers produced by members of the Cowles Commission and Cowles Foundation research staffs from 1932 through 1982.