Retrospectives the phillips curve: A rushed job?

Abstract

This feature addresses the history of economic terms and ideas. The hope is to deepen the workaday dialogue of economists, while perhaps also casting new light on ongoing questions. If you have suggestions for future topics or authors, please write to Joseph Persky of the University of Illinois at Chicago at 〈 jpersky@uic.edu〉. I am deeply indebted to Professor Susan Howson who sent me copies of the Tooke Chair correspondence from the Robbins Papers. She is not enthusiastic about my conjecture, but her comments on early drafts of the paper were invaluable. I am similarly indebted to Dick Lipsey for his willingness to answer my questions and to make substantive comments on previous drafts during a time in which he had many other commitments. There is no reason to believe that he accepts my argument. Julia Hasek mercilessly cut many hundreds of words from early drafts. Nida Ali, who was a student in the M.Sc. econometrics program at the L.S.E., provided able research assistance in London. Timothy Taylor did a superb job of editing the manuscript into its present form. I also received valuable comments and encouragement from Nick Barr, Rich Hart, Janna Marie Kilburn, David Laidler, Robert Leeson, Ann Norman, Paul Samuelson, Robert Solow, and Juli Spencer. None of these persons are implicated in any remaining errors of commission or omission.