Redvers Opie (1900–1984) 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 ...
. On the recommendation of
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...
, he became the United Kingdom Treasury representative in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, as Counsellor and economic adviser at the British Embassy, 1939–46, and was one of the five members of the UK delegation to the
Bretton Woods Conference
The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Unit ...
, which gave birth to the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...
and the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
.
Life
Opie married a daughter of the American economist
F. W. Tausigg. Opie was educated at
Durham University, he taught at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
where he eventually became the
Bursar
A bursar (derived from "bursa", Latin for '' purse'') is a professional administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usually hold office only at the level of higher education (fo ...
of
Magdalen College
Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
. He later went on to do a doctorate at
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 high ...
, where he became a member of the teaching staff.
Among many books, Opie is perhaps most famous for his translation of ''The Theory of Economic Development: An Inquiry into Profits, Capital, Credit, Interest, and the Business Cycle'' (part of the Harvard Economic Studies series) by
Joseph A. Schumpeter
Joseph Alois Schumpeter (; February 8, 1883 – January 8, 1950) was an Austrian-born political economist. He served briefly as Finance Minister of German-Austria in 1919. In 1932, he emigrated to the United States to become a professor at ...
.
[ Translated from the 1911 original German, ''Theorie der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung''.]
He moved to
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
, becoming a naturalized Mexican, where he founded Ecanal in 1976. Ecanal is currently a source of critical analysis of economic and government policy useful for business. Redvers died on February 10, 1984. The sole remaining partner of Ecanal is now
Rogelio Ramirez de la O.
Selected bibliography
Books
* Hardback . Translated from the 1911 original German, .
*
Journal articles
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opie, Redvers
1900 births
Academics of the University of Oxford
Harvard University alumni
English emigrants to Mexico
1984 deaths
20th-century British economists
Alumni of Armstrong College, Durham