Walter Isard

Walter Isard ( born April 19, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, † November 6, 2010 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania) was an American economist.

Life and work

Isard was Professor of Economics and Regional Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Cornell University College of Arts & Sciences. He is also known for his tireless work for peace.

Isard founded in the early 1960s, the Peace Science Society, to provide the analysis of international conflicts on scientific legs, and the Journal of Peace Science published.

He founded the Regional Science Association which now has 2,000 members in 30 countries.

In its further development by Alfred Weber's location theory Isard introduced the principle of substitution by Andreas Predöhl.

Writings (selection )

• Some concepts for the analysis of spatial organization, Part I. In: Papers in Regional Science, Vol 11 (1963 ), pp. 15-40, ISSN 0486-2902
• On the natural transport rate and some parallels from physics. In: Papers on the Regional Science Association, Vol 32 (1974 ), No. 1, pp. 94-100, ISSN 0486-2902
• Reflections on the Relevance of Integrated Multi-Region Models. Lessons from Physics. In: Regional Science and Urban Economics, vol 16 (1986 ), No. 2, pp. 165-180, ISSN 0166-0462.

• Understanding Conflict and the Science of Peace. Blackwell, Cambridge 1992, ISBN 1-557-86311-3.
• Arms Races, Arms Control and Conflict Analysis. Contributions from Peace Science and Peace Economics. CUP, New York 1988, ISBN 0-521-36297-0.
• Spatial Dynamics and Optimal Space-Time Development ( Studies in regional science and urban economics, Vol 4). North -Holland, New York 1979, ISBN 0-444-00273-1.
• New frontiers in regional science. University Press, New York 1990, ISBN 0-8147-1437-4.

• Christine Smith (eds. ): Selected Papers of Walter Isard. Macmillan, Basingstoke 1990, ISBN 0-333-51378-9 ( 2 vols )