Professor Edmund Phelps

Edmund Phelps, born in 1933 in Evanston and raised in Hastings-on-Hudson, earned his B.A. from Amherst College in 1955 and his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1959. Phelps is a Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, awarded in 2006. He is also the Director of the Center on Capitalism and Society and the McVickar Professor of Political Economy at Columbia University. He holds the position of Honorary Dean at the New Huadu Business School in Fuzhou, China, and became the Dean of the same institution in 2010. Additionally, he is the director of the New Huadu Economics and Management Institute in Beijing, a role he began in 2011.

Phelps's contributions to economics involve integrating the realistic complexities of human behavior into economic models, focusing on the impact of incomplete information and individual expectations on market dynamics. His research areas include unemployment, economic growth, and inclusion, which he explores through his roles at Columbia University and beyond. His book "Mass Flourishing," published by Princeton University Press, encapsulates his research into an extensive economic history and argument for the modern values that support economic vitality.

Phelps's work and influence have been recognized widely. He was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Science in 1982 and became a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association in 2000. In 2008, he was honored as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, received the Premio Pico della Mirandola, and the Kiel Global Economy Prize. In 2011, he was awarded the Louise Blouin Award for Creative Leadership. His academic contributions have been acknowledged with multiple honorary degrees, including a doctorate from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in June 2010, and numerous honorary professorships globally.