Journal Article

Tony Atkinson and his legacy

By Rolf Aaberge, François Bourguignon, Andrea Brandolini, Francisco H.G. Ferreira, Janet C. Gornick, John Hills, Markus Jäntti, Stephen P. Jenkins, Eric Marlier, John Micklewright, Brian Nolan, Thomas Piketty, Walter J. Radermacher, Timothy M. Smeeding, Nicholas H. Stern, Joseph Stiglitz and Holly Sutherland

Publication details

Publication date
Published in
Review of Income and Wealth
Volume
63
Pages
pp. 411–444
Publisher
Blackwell
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/roiw.12335
ISSN
346586

Summary

Tony Atkinson is universally celebrated for his outstanding contributions to the measurement and analysis of inequality, but he never saw the study of inequality as a separate branch of economics. He was an economist in the classical sense, rejecting any sub-field labelling of his interests and expertise, and he made contributions right across economics. His death on 1 January 2017 deprived the world of both an intellectual giant and a deeply committed public servant in the broadest sense of the term. This collective tribute highlights the range, depth and importance of Tony's enormous legacy, the product of almost fifty years’ work.

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