Honorary degree for distinguished economist
Published 14 December 2009
Professor Brian Arthur, leading economist and alumnus of Lancaster University, was awarded an honorary doctorate at the University's graduation ceremony on 9 December 2009.
Professor Arthur is one of the most creative economists in the world. A pioneer in the science of complexity, he has written extensively about technology and how it evolves.
Originally trained as an electrical engineer, Professor Arthur is best known for his theoretical work on increasing returns in the economy. Recently he has turned his attention to questions of the evolution of technology and its role in shaping our world – from the economy to scientific discovery.
The first in his family to attend university, he is currently a professor at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico. He holds a PhD in Operations Research from Berkeley, and an MA in Operational Research from Lancaster University, along with other degrees in economics, maths and electrical engineering. In 1990 his work won the Schumpeter Prize in economics and in 2008 he won the Lagrange Prize in complexity science.
He is a sought after speaker and he has given keynote speeches to governments and companies all over the world, from the White House and the World Economic Forum to Coca-Cola and Intel.
Professor Arthur presented two seminar papers at Lancaster University on the 9th and 10th of December 2009:
Brian Arthur: Complexity and the Nascent Revolution in Economics
