An Economist among Mandarins: A Biography of Robert Hall, 1901-1988

by Kit Jones

Overview

Robert Hall was the highly respected and influential Economic Adviser to the British government between 1947 and 1961. A former Rhodes Scholar and Oxford don, he was appointed as Director of the Economic Section, first in the Cabinet Office and then in the Treasury. This appointment came at a crucial time in the development of the modern economic state, when governments were taking on responsibility for managing the general course of the economy. This book puts a new slant on the events of these years as well as assessing Hall's role in them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521471558
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/28/1994
Series:	National Institute of Economic and Social Research Economic and Social Studies , #10
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. An idyllic Australian childhood; 3. Growing up; 4. The young Australian in Oxford and London; 5. Oxford don; 6. Wartime civil servant in London and Washington; 7. Postwar plans for a new economic order; 8. A new job; 9. Working with Cripps; 10. The Korean War and rearmament; 11. A change of government in 1951; 12. The revival of monetary policy under the Tories; 13. The problem of inflation; 14. International economic cooperation; 15. London, Oxford and Cornwall; 16. Economic statesman; Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

"Jones' study of Hall is a useful addition to the literature on the formulation of economic policy during the postwar period as well as an interesting account of the role of a twentieth century professional economist. The volume is solidly based on official records and contains a number of interesting documents as appendices that provide a sense of the nature of the advice Hall provided." Gerard Koot, Albion

"The best parts of Kit Jones's short biography are the early chapters on the years in Australia, which utilize Hall's unfinished autobiography....she builds an illuminating and affectionate portrait of the man while describing the many complex policy issues on which he advised." Susan Howson, American Historical Review

From the Publisher