Peter Howitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Wilkinson Howitt (1946-05-31)May 31, 1946 (age 79) Guelph, Ontario, Canada |
| Known for | Aghion–Howitt model Endogenous growth theory Creative destruction |
| Academic background | |
| Education | McGill University (BA) University of Western Ontario (MA) Northwestern University (PhD) |
| Thesis | Studies in the Theory of Monetary Dynamics (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert W. Clower |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Economic growth Macroeconomics Monetary economics |
| School or tradition | Neo-Schumpeterian economics[1] |
| Institutions | University of Western Ontario Ohio State University Brown University |
| Doctoral students | Roger Farmer[2] Martín Guzmán[3] |
| Awards | Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2025) |
| Website | |
Peter Wilkinson Howitt (born May 31, 1946) is a Canadian economist and the Lyn Crost Professor of Social Sciences Emeritus atBrown University. He is best known for his collaborative work withPhilippe Aghion onendogenous growth theory, the concept ofcreative destruction in modern macroeconomics and theAghion–Howitt model.[4] In 2025, Howitt and Aghion were jointly awarded theNobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for the theory of sustained growth throughcreative destruction."[4]
Howitt was born inGuelph, Ontario, in 1946.[5] He earned his BA in economics fromMcGill University in 1968, his MA from theUniversity of Western Ontario in 1969, and his PhD fromNorthwestern University in 1973 underRobert W. Clower.[6]
Howitt returned to Canada after receiving his PhD and taught at theUniversity of Western Ontario from 1972 to 1996.[7] He became a faculty member at theOhio State University in 1996 and joined Brown University in 2000, where he has remained since.[7] Since 2013, Howitt is Professor Emeritus at Brown University. Besides his university affiliations, he also has long-time connections with theC. D. Howe Institute, a nonpartisan think tank based inToronto, Canada. Howitt started publishing reports of economic policy through the institute since 1986 and was a fellow-in-residence from 2011 to 2015.[8][9]
He served as president of theCanadian Economics Association in 1993–1994 and was the editor of theJournal of Money, Credit, and Banking in the period 1997–2000.[10]
Howitt was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Canada in 1992[10] and of theEconometric Society in 1994.[11] In 2019, he and Aghion received theBBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Economics, Finance and Management.[12] Howitt and Aghion were also awarded half of theNobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2025 "for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction", the other half going toJoel Mokyr.[4]
