Ruth Louisa Cohen (10 November 1906 – 27 July 1991) was a British

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

, who served as Principal of

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...

of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

from 1954 to 1972.Sheila M. Edmonds, 'Economist with milky vision', ''The Guardian'', 3 August 1991

Life

She studied at Newnham College as an undergraduate in the 1920s. In 1930, she received a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship to go to the US. She spent two years at Stanford and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...

. On her return, she worked at the Agricultural Economic Research Institute of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, where she remained until 1939. She then returned to Newnham College as a lecturer, and became Director of Studies in Economics. In September 1939, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

broke out. Shortly after Cohen's return she was called to London for war service at the

Ministry of Food An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

and then at the Board of Trade. At the end of the war, she returned to Cambridge to teach in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

, a role she held until 1972.Johnson, Harry. "Ruth Cohen: A Neglected Contributor to Contemporary Capital Theory." In The Shadow of Keynes: Understanding Keynes, Cambridge, and Keynesian Economics. Edited by Elizabeth S. Johnson and Harry Johnson. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978 She was elected Principal of Newnham College in 1954, Chair of the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

Committee for the Provincial Agricultural Advisory Service in 1962, and was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1969. After her retirement, from 1973–1987, she served as a Labour Councillor for Newnham Ward on

Cambridge City Council Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, which governs the City of Cambridge. History Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor. The first recorde ...

, chairing the Finance Committee and being active on the Development Control Sub-committee. Within economics, in addition to her own published output (see below),

Phyllis Deane Phyllis Mary Deane FBA (13 October 1918 – 28 July 2012) was a British economic historian and a historian of economic thought. She served as Professor of Economic History at the University of Cambridge from 1981 to 1983. Life and career Deane ...

argues that her major contribution may well have been her revelation of the fatal flaw (or from another perspective, awkward anomaly) in neoclassical capital theory.

Key works

* (1930) ''Factors affecting the price and production of potatoes'' * (1933) ''Milk marketing schemes and policies'' * (with K. A. H. Murray) (1933) ''The effect of butter and cheese supplies on 'surplus' milk prices'' * (with K. A. H. Murray) (1934; supplements 1935, 36, 37, 38) ''The Planning of Britain's food imports'' * (1936) ''The history of milk prices'' * (1940) ''The Economics of Agriculture'' * (1953) ''Survey of national measures for controlling farm prices in Western European countries'' * (with P. L. Cook) (1958) ''Effects of Mergers''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Ruth 1906 births 1991 deaths British women economists Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Principals of Newnham College, Cambridge 20th-century British economists British economics writers Harkness Fellows