Steven Plaut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steven Plaut
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Steven Plaut giving a lecture at Central European University in 2011
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| Born | 1951 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | (aged 65) Haifa, Israel |
| Occupation | Professor, University of Haifa |
| Subject | Economics, business |
Steven Plaut (1951 – January 17, 2017) was an Israeli economist, a university professor, and a writer. He taught Business Administration at the University of Haifa in Israel. He was also part of the team that edited the Middle East Quarterly, a magazine from a group called the Middle East Forum.
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About Steven Plaut
Steven Plaut was born in Philadelphia, a big city in Pennsylvania, USA. In 1981, he moved to Israel with his family. This move is called aliyah, which means immigrating to Israel. He lived in Israel until he passed away on January 17, 2017, in Haifa at the age of 65. He had been sick with cancer for many years.
His University Career
Steven Plaut studied a lot! He earned his first university degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from Temple University. Then, he got his Master of Arts degree from Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He went on to earn a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in economics from Princeton University. A Ph.D. is the highest university degree you can get. He focused on how countries trade with each other and how cities grow. Later, he also studied finance, which is about managing money.
Before becoming a professor at the University of Haifa, Dr. Plaut taught at many other universities. These included Oberlin College, the Technion, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, Central European University, and Tel Aviv University. He also worked at the Federal Reserve Bank, which is a very important financial organization.
His Books
Steven Plaut wrote two interesting books.
The Joy of Capitalism
In 1985, he wrote a book called The Joy of Capitalism. In this book, he talked about free market economics. This is an idea where businesses can operate with less government control. He believed that the desire to make a profit, called the profit motive, is a strong force. He wrote about how this idea applies to things like energy, housing, and banking. He also discussed how wealth is shared among people.
The Scout
His second book, The Scout, came out in 2002. This book is a historical novel. It tells the story of his own experience when he was very sick with kidney cancer. He was in an intensive care unit, which is a special part of a hospital for very ill patients. The book shares life stories that he and another patient, an Israeli Bedouin scout, told each other while they were in the hospital.
His Political Ideas
Steven Plaut had strong opinions about politics, especially concerning Israel. He often spoke out about the peace process between Israelis and Arabs. He also disagreed with Israel's policy of withdrawing from certain areas. He believed that some Arab leaders would continue to oppose Israel.
He also had strong views about certain political figures and groups. He disagreed with what he saw as extreme left-wing ideas in Israeli universities. He was part of a group called Isracampus. This group aimed to share information about people and groups they believed were against Israel. He also criticized a group called "Anarchists Against the Wall," who were protesting the Israeli West Bank barrier. He described them as very disruptive.
Images for kids
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Steven Plaut giving a lecture at Central European University in 2011
See also
- Neo-Zionism
