MIT and the Origins of the Modern Theory of Asset Pricing

Abstract

This article argues that it was no coincidence that one of the places in which the modern theory of finance was developed was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Not only had it attracted Paul Samuelson, who had a long-standing interest in the problem, but its academic culture as a science-focused engineering school that fostered a competitive atmosphere and close relations between its economics department and business school was conducive to the development of such theories.