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Mason Gaffney
Born (1923-10-18)October 18, 1923
White Plains, New York, United States
Died July 16, 2020(2020-07-16) (aged 96)
Redlands, California, United States
Institution University of California, Riverside
Field Public economics
School or
tradition
Classical economics
Alma mater Harvard University
Reed College
University of California, Berkeley
Influences Henry George

Merrill Mason Gaffney (born October 18, 1923 – died July 16, 2020) was an American economist. He was known for his strong opinions about how economies work.

Gaffney often disagreed with a common way of thinking called Neoclassical economics. Instead, he followed ideas from Georgism, which focuses on how land and natural resources should be used.

He first read a famous book called Progress and Poverty by Henry George when he was in high school. This book greatly influenced his ideas about economics.

Mason Gaffney started studying at Harvard University in 1941. However, he wasn't happy with how economics was taught there. So, in 1942, he left to join the war effort during World War II. He served in the southwest Pacific.

After the war, he earned his first degree (B.A.) from Reed College in Portland, Oregon in 1948. Later, in 1956, he earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. For his Ph.D., he wrote about how buying and selling land just to make money could stop land from being used in the best way.

From 1976 onwards, Gaffney was a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Riverside. He passed away in July 2020 when he was 96 years old.

Mason Gaffney's Career Journey

Mason Gaffney had a very interesting and varied career. He didn't just teach at universities; he also worked in other fields.

He was a professor of economics at many different universities. He also worked as a journalist for TIME, Inc., a well-known magazine.

Gaffney also did research for an organization called Resources for the Future. He even started his own research group in British Columbia, Canada, called the British Columbia Institute for Economic Policy Analysis. He led this group for several years.

He often worked as an economic consultant, giving advice to businesses and government groups. He also frequently gave talks about economic topics, both in the United States and in other countries. He even helped with political campaigns.

In 1984, he was chosen to be a Director of the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation. This foundation helps spread the ideas of Henry George.

Here are some of the places where Mason Gaffney worked:

See also

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