Leonid Hurwicz: Intelligent Designer

Washington state-based writer Michael Hurwicz has long been fascinated by his father's journey as a Polish Jew from 1930s Warsaw to America and ultimately a Nobel Prize in Economics.  Michael's book reflects deep archival research as well as conversations with his father, immediate and extended family, friends, students, and colleagues.

“Some of the most interesting chapters in the book are those that offer a wealth of family and biographical information. The book is not simply a factual biography but seeks to develop a theme that is made clear from the beginning: wars and economic depressions shaped Hurwicz's outlook on the world and molded his economics. The tone is overall enthusiastic, and historians of economics should see this biography as an invitation to further inquire into Hurwicz's contributions.”—Vincent Carret, History of Political Economy“A fascinating, exciting story.” — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

• AcknowledgementsPrologue1939, sierpień/août/AugustBorn a RefugeeNow or NeverHome Safe?Get an Education!The MiracleHurwicz Home SchoolCrisis, Coup, CatastropheAstrophysics, Chopin and JazzEconomics and EinsteinSocialist CalculationBrown Shirts and Ghetto BenchesGraduation GetawayMath, Models and MechanismsGovernment InterventionA LifelineHurwiczes on the RunAn Intellectual Warrior at the School for PeaceLeo Hurwicz: “Excess Foreign Population”Geneva to Chicago by Way of Locarno, Barcelona and LisbonChicago and MITSurprise AttackHoneyA Little Bit UnrulyThe Great Book ReviewA Slow and Difficult ProcessJust a Closer Walk with StanBlood, Fire, Smoke, Exile and Human KindnessMechanism Design: Development and RecognitionAppendix A. Leo’s MemorialAppendix B. A Celebration of Leo's 90th Birthday, Held at the Holiday Inn Metrodome, 1500 Washington Avenue South, in Minneapolis on April 14, 2007Appendix C. The Theory of Economic Behavior, by Leonid HurwiczAppendix D. The Hurwicz CriterionAppendix E. Edited transcript of 2007 interview with Leo, conducted by the authorAppendix F. A Timeline of the Life of Leo HurwiczAppendix G. What Is Mechanism Design?