E. F. Schumacher | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Schumacher from the cover of Small Is Beautiful, 1973 | |
| Born | Ernst Friedrich Schumacher 16 August 1911 |
| Died | 4 September 1977 (aged 66) Switzerland |
| Nationality | British |
| Academic career | |
| Institution | University of Oxford Columbia University |
| Alma mater | University of Bonn University of Berlin New College, Oxford Columbia University |
| Contributions | Appropriate technology Buddhist economics |
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher CBE (16 August 1911 – 4 September 1977) was a British statistician and economist who is best known for his proposals for human-scale, decentralised and appropriate technologies.[1] He served as Chief Economic Advisor to the British National Coal Board from 1950 to 1970, and founded the Intermediate Technology Development Group (now known as Practical Action) in 1966.
In 1995, his 1973 book Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered was ranked by The Times Literary Supplement as one of the 100 most influential books published since World War II.[2] In 1977 he published A Guide for the Perplexed as a critique of materialistic scientism and as an exploration of the nature and organisation of knowledge.
- ^ Biography on the inner dustjacket of Small Is Beautiful
- ^ The Times Literary Supplement, 6 October 1995, p. 39