Donald Harris | |
|---|---|
 Harris in 1974 | |
| Born | Donald Jasper Harris August 23, 1938 |
| Citizenship |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Relatives | Harris family |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of London (BA) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
| Thesis | Inflation, Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth : A Theoretical and Numerical Analysis (1966) |
| Doctoral advisor | Daniel McFadden |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Economics |
| Sub-discipline | Post-Keynesian development economics |
| Institutions | |
| Doctoral students | |
| Website | Stanford Department of Economics page |
Donald Jasper Harris, OM (born August 23, 1938) is a Jamaican-American economist and emeritus professor at Stanford University, known for applying post-Keynesian ideas to development economics.[1] He was the first Black scholar granted tenure in the Stanford Department of Economics, and he is the father of Kamala Harris, the incumbent Vice President of the United States and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, and of Maya Harris, a lawyer, advocate and writer.
Harris was raised in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, attending the University College of the West Indies before earning a Bachelor's degree from the University of London and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He held professorships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, and University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining Stanford University as professor of economics.
Harris's 1978 book Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution critiques mainstream economic theories, using mathematical modeling to propose an alternative model for thinking about the effects of capital accumulation on income inequality, economic growth, instability, and other phenomena. He has worked extensively on analysis and policy regarding the economy of Jamaica.[2] He served in Jamaica, at various times, as economic policy consultant to the government and as economic adviser to successive prime ministers.[3][4][5] In 2021, he was awarded Jamaica's Order of Merit, the country's third-highest national honor, for his "contribution to national development".[3][6]
- ^ "Donald J. Harris, 1938–". The History of Economic Thought. Institute for New Economic Thinking. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Donald J. Harris". Stanford University | Department of Economics.
- ^ a b Stein, Jeff (August 13, 2024). "Jamaican officials needed help. They turned to Kamala Harris's dad". Washington Post.
- ^ Patterson, Percival J. (2018). My Political Journey. University of the West Indies Press. p. 220. ISBN 9789766407018.
- ^ "Planning Institute of Jamaica Hires Growth Expert". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Prof Donald Harris, father of US vice president, to receive Jamaica's third highest honour". Jamaica Observer. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2024.