Francis Hopkirk Ackerman (October 17, 1946 – July 15, 2019) was an American economist known for his work in

environmental economics Environmental economics is a sub-field of economics concerned with environmental issues. It has become a widely studied subject due to growing environmental concerns in the twenty-first century. Environmental economics "undertakes theoretical or ...

, particularly in the areas of

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

and development. He is also known as a founder of the magazine ''

Dollars & Sense ''Dollars & Sense'' is a magazine focusing on economics from a progressive perspective, published by Dollars & Sense, Inc, which also publishes textbooks in the same genre. ''Dollars & Sense'' describes itself as publishing "economic news and ana ...

''.

Life

Ackerman was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...

, the son of Eugene Ackerman and Dorothy née Hopkirk. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...

, followed by a PhD in economics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. He lived most of his life in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area ...

and

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

Writings

A prominent critic of conventional economic approaches to climate and their use of

cost–benefit analysis Cost–benefit analysis (CBA), sometimes also called benefit–cost analysis, is a systematic approach to estimating the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives. It is used to determine options which provide the best approach to achieving benefits ...

, he has written for academic and popular presses and directed studies for government agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Ackerman's last books were ''NAFTA 2.0: For People or Polluters? A Climate Denier's Trade Deal versus a Clean Energy Economy'' (2018) and ''Worst-Case Economics: Extreme Events in Climate and Finance'' (Anthem Press, 2017). His other books include ''Can We Afford the Future? Economics for a Warming World'' (Zed Books, 2009), ''Poisoned for Pennies: The Economics of Toxics and Precaution'' (Island Press, 2008), and ''Priceless: On Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing'' (The New Press, 2004, with Lisa Heinzerling).

Institutions

Ackerman was a senior economist at Synapse Energy Economics, a public interest-oriented consulting firm in Cambridge, MA. Before joining Synapse in 2012, he held research positions at the Stockholm Environment Institute's US Center, at Tufts University's Global Development and Environment Institute, and at the Tellus Institute. He taught at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

and the University of Massachusetts. Ackerman was a co-founder and steering committee member of the Economics for Equity and the Environment Network, and a member scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform. He was a co-founder and editor of the magazine ''

''.

References

External links

Frank Ackerman personal webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackerman, Frank Economists from Wisconsin Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Tufts University faculty Climate economists 1946 births 2019 deaths Writers from Madison, Wisconsin University of Massachusetts faculty American magazine founders Swarthmore College alumni 21st-century American economists