Walter Yasuo Oi (July 1, 1929 – December 24, 2013) was the Elmer B. Milliman Professor of

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

in Rochester, New York. He was a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, a distinguished fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, and a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. He is credited with providing the economic basis for a voluntary military and the elimination of a

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

Early life

Oi was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He obtained a Ph.D. in

from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1961. At age 13, Oi and his family were detained by U.S. authorities and sent along with other Japanese-Americans to an internment camp following the signing of

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. "This order authorized the fo ...

. For the first few days of his internment, Oi and his family lived in a stall at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

. Oi began to lose his sight in the 1960s, as he finished his doctoral work and began searching for a faculty position.

Role in the development of an all volunteer force

In his contribution to ''The Costs and Implications of an All-Volunteer Force'' (1967) (of which he was also editor) Oi outlined the different calculations required to differentiate between the budgetary cost of military personnel and the economic cost to the nation of

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

. He identified the hidden costs of drafted force as the impact on the mental well-being of those drafted. Oi estimated the loss in monetary terms of this effect to be between $826 million and $1.134 billion. Oi was then employed as the staff economist on President Nixon's Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force (the Gates Commission) in the early 1970s. His research was used as a key piece of evidence in the debate to end the policy of conscription.Conference Organized to Honor Economist Walter Oi
/ref> Conscription ended in 1973.Henderson
The Role of Economists in Ending the Draft
p. 362.

Role in relation to disability

Oi was the vice-chair of the President's Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Awards and honors

Oi was elected a fellow of the

in 1993. Oi was named a distinguished fellow of the

American Economic Association The American Economic Association (AEA) is a learned society in the field of economics, with approximately 23,000 members. It publishes several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Review, an ...

, a distinguished fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, and a fellow of the Econometrics Society. In 2000, Oi received the

Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

for his work leading to the adoption of an all-volunteer military.

Personal

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Oi was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

at Amache, the Granada internment camp since he was a

Nisei is a Japanese language, Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the nikkeijin, ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants, or . The , or Second generation imm ...

, an American of second generation Japanese descent. Oi had been gradually losing his sight for the majority of his life and unable to read text since entering college. By 1956, he was totally blind. He continued to teach, collaborate and work until he died, aged 84, in Rochester, New York.

Bibliography

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Notes

References

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External links

*
Profile of Walter Y. Oi from the Department of Defense
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oi, Walter 1929 births 2013 deaths American economists Japanese-American internees University of Rochester faculty American academics of Japanese descent American blind people Labor economists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Econometric Society Blind scholars and academics Distinguished fellows of the American Economic Association