Douglass North

Douglass Cecil North (born November 5, 1920) is an American economist known for his work in the history of economic thought. He is the co-recipient (with Robert William Fogel) of the 1993 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In the words of the Nobel Committee, North and Fogel were awarded the prize "for having renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institut... more

Douglass Cecil North (born November 5, 1920) is an American economist known for his work in the history of economic thought. He is the co-recipient (with Robert William Fogel) of the 1993 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In the words of the Nobel Committee, North and Fogel were awarded the prize "for having renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institutional change." Douglass North was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on November 5, 1920. North moved several times as a child due to his father's work at MetLife, living in Cambridge, Ottawa, Lausanne, New York City and Wallingford. North was accepted at Harvard at the same time that his father became the head of MetLife on the west coast, so North opted to go to University of California, Berkeley. In 1942, North graduated with a B.A. in General Curriculum-Humanities. Although his grades amounted to slightly better than a "C" average, North... less