Herbert Scarf

Eli Herbert Scarf ( born July 25, 1930 in Philadelphia ) is an American economist and mathematician. The high school teacher is considered one of the founders of applied equilibrium analysis.

Career, teaching and research

Scarf studied at Temple University, which he after graduating with a Artium Baccalaureus left in the direction of Princeton University in 1951. There he completed his master's degree the following year from 1954 he graduated as a Ph.D. in mathematics.

His first job after graduation was at the RAND Corporation Scarf in Santa Monica, California. In 1957, he joined as an assistant professor in the statistics department at Stanford University, later increased to at the University associate professor. 1959/60 it was the first time as a visiting lecturer at Yale University, in 1963 he was appointed a full professor. There he took over in 1970 Stanley Resor Chair of Economics, 1979, he was given the Sterling Professorship at the University.

Scarfs work focuses in particular topics of game theory and general equilibrium theory. In the late 1960s Scarf developed an approach for estimating the parameters in an Arrow- Debreu model based on empirical data by means of numerical methods. His algorithm proved to be particularly suitable for the computer programming, and thus quickly sat for calculations of general equilibrium models by. In particular, in collaboration with the Norwegian Terje Hansen, he deepened his knowledge in the following years, received for their summarized in the book, The Computation of Economic Equilibria work the two 1973 Frederick W. Lanchester Prize. Other important results Scarfs are the proof, the conditions under which converge cooperative games against equilibrium models, and evidence of how models do not lead to stable equilibria.

Between 1967 and 1984 led Scarf in different intervals, the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics at Yale University, he also was in the early 1970s partly Director of the Division of Social Sciences at the educational institution. Since 1963 Member of the Econometric Society, he sat in front of the organization in 1983 as President. 1991 to 1994 he was also in front of the economics department of the National Academy of Sciences, whose member he had become in 1976. Since 1971 he is member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.