Don Lavoie | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1951-04-04)April 4, 1951 |
| Died | November 6, 2001(2001-11-06) (aged 50) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Worcester Polytechnic Institute New York University |
| Academic work | |
| School or tradition | Austrian School |
Donald Charles Lavoie (April 4, 1951 – November 6, 2001) was an Americaneconomist of theAustrian School. He was influenced byFriedrich Hayek,Hans-Georg Gadamer,Michael Polanyi andLudwig Lachmann. He wrote two books on the problem of economic calculation. His first book on this subject wasRivalry and Central Planning (Cambridge University Press 1985). This book stressed the importance of the process of competitive rivalry in markets. His second book wasNational Economic Planning: What Is Left? (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger Publishing Company, 1985). This book dealt with the problem of non-comprehensive planning.
Lavoie earned a BS in computer science in 1973 fromWorcester Polytechnic Institute. He then earned a PhD in economics in 1981 fromNew York University underIsrael Kirzner.[1] His thesis was entitledRivalry and central planning: a re-examination of the debate over economic calculation under socialism.[2]
Don Lavoie joined the faculty of the economics department ofGeorge Mason University as an assistant professor in 1981. He was co-founder of the interdisciplinary unit known as theProgram on Social & Organizational Learning atGeorge Mason University.[1][3]
As a young professor, he worked on the philosophy and practice of electronically mediated discourse. He knew the importance for organizations of new ways of cultivating interactive learning environments (groupware andhypertext software environments) in order to enhance communicative processes. He showed the fundamental nature ofsocial learning processes, whether in market exchanges, in verbal conversations, or in hypertext-based dialogue.[4]
As a scholar, he studied thephilosophy of thesocial sciences (especially the application ofhermeneutics to economics) andComparative economic systems (especiallyMarxian theories ofsocialism). Along withRichard Ebeling and others, Lavoie pioneered the attempt to merge Austrian Economics with philosophical hermeneutics in the late 1980s, and in particular with the hermeneutics ofHans-Georg Gadamer.[5] His effort drew criticism from several members of the Austrian School associated with theMises Institute, especiallyMurray Rothbard andHans-Hermann Hoppe.[citation needed]
In the bookCulture and Enterprise: The Development, Representation and Morality of Business (New York: Routledge, 2000) written withEmily Chamlee-Wright, they take into account the important role ofculture in a nation's economic development.[citation needed]
He also worked at theCato Institute.[citation needed]
Among his students, there are a number of "contemporary Austrian" economists:Peter Boettke,David Prychitko,Steven Horwitz, Thomas Rustici, Mark Gilbert, Ralph Rector,Emily Chamlee-Wright, Howie Baetjer and Virgil Storr.
Lavoie was diagnosed withpancreatic cancer in the spring of 2001. He died of a stroke later that year. A conference was held in his honor after his death as well as a book of essays.[6][7]
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