- Heckscher, Eli Filip
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born Nov. 24, 1879, Stockholm, Swed.died Nov. 26, 1952, StockholmSwedish economist and economic historian.He taught at the Stockholm School of Economics from 1909 and was a founder and director of the Stockholm Institute for Economic History. He wrote mainly on economic history, producing such works as The Continental System (1922) and Mercantilism (1935). He originated the concept of commodity points, which limit the fluctuation of paper currencies, and argued in favour of free trade, asserting that differing productive factors were responsible for differing commodities trading advantages among nations. This hypothesis, expanded on by his student Bertil Ohlin (1899–1979), is now known as the Heckscher-Ohlin theory.
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▪ Swedish economistborn Nov. 24, 1879, Stockholmdied Nov. 26, 1952, StockholmSwedish economist and economic historian.Heckscher graduated from the University of Uppsala in 1904, receiving his Ph.D. in 1907. He became a professor in 1909 at the then recently founded Stockholm School of Economics. In 1929 he was one of the founders and director of the Stockholm Institute for Economic History.Although Heckscher is now chiefly remembered as an economic historian, he also made several contributions to economic theory, including the concept of commodity points, which limits the fluctuation of inconvertible paper currencies (Ekonomisk Tidskrift, 1916). In a famous article of 1919 he argued for free trade, putting forward the hypothesis that the comparative trading advantage of different countries is due to differences in productive factors. This idea was expanded upon by his pupil, economist Bertil Ohlin, and is now known as the Heckscher–Ohlin theory.Heckscher wrote mostly on economic history. His works in this area include Kontinental systemet (1918; The Continental System, 1922); Merkantilismen (1931; Mercantilism, 1935), considered a classic on mercantilism; and Sveriges ekonomiska historia (1935; An Economic History of Sweden, 1954).* * *
Universalium. 2010.
