{"id":537102,"date":"2022-10-14T08:58:35","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T12:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=537102"},"modified":"2022-10-14T16:57:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T20:57:49","slug":"ronald-jones-remembered-for-landmark-work-in-international-economics-537102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/ronald-jones-remembered-for-landmark-work-in-international-economics-537102\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronald Jones remembered for landmark work in international economics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The professor emeritus helped establish the University\u2019s PhD program in economics.<\/h2>\n

Ronald Jones, a professor emeritus in the Department of Economics at the University of Rochester, is being remembered as a leading figure in the field of international economics. Jones died in September at the age of 91.<\/p>\n

\u201cRon Jones was not only a world-class scholar who made significant contributions to the theory of international trade,\u201d says Professor Emeritus Stanley Engerman, \u201che was a pivotal figure in turning the department into one of the world\u2019s leading places to conduct economic research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones joined the Rochester faculty in 1958, two years after earning his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That was the year the economics department became its own academic unit, after having separated from the business administration program, and Jones was one of the eager, young scholars brought in during the first year to begin building up the department.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what he did over the course of his career.<\/p>\n

As former department chair George Alessandria puts it, \u201cRon was a giant in the field of international economics. By offering a clear and disciplined approach that is the basis for most work today, he changed the way we study global interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of Jones\u2019s work is summarized in his 2000 book, Globalization and the Theory of Input Trade<\/em> (MIT Press), in which he examined the recent tendency of firms to outsource parts of the production process to other areas of the globe. Outsourcing of labor-intensive activities to regions with lower wages (relative to productivity) is a prime example of this process. Jones found that for an advanced country, this kind of outsourcing need not prove harmful to labor.<\/p>\n

Says Gloria Culver, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, \u201cRon\u2019s role in helping to create this noted department and his role in international economics cannot be overstated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making his mark in international economics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jones has 180 scholarly articles to his name, many in the leading economics journals the\u00a0American Economic Review<\/em>, the\u00a0Review of Economic Studies<\/em>, and the\u00a0Journal of Economic Theory.<\/em>\u00a0His several books include World Trade and Payments<\/em>, (Little Brown & Co.), one of the leading undergraduate textbooks in trade, coauthored with Richard Caves. The book first appeared in 1973 and went through 10 editions, a testament to its popularity. It was followed by\u00a0International Trade: Essays in Theory <\/em>(North Holland, 1979), and Globalization and the Theory of Input Trade <\/em>(MIT Press, 2000). He is perhaps best known for his 1965\u00a0Journal of Political Economy<\/em>\u00a0article, \u201cThe Structure of Simple General Equilibrium Models.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carsten Kowalczyk \u201888 (PhD), an associate professor of international economics at Tufts University, wrote the forward to Jones\u2019s 2018 book, International Trade Theory and Competitive Models<\/em> (World Scientific Publishing Company). \u201cAt this time of questioning of international trade and the associated policies and institutions, there is a great need for the kind of cool and powerful economic analysis that Jones offers,\u201d observed Kowalczyk. \u201cThe timing of publication of this volume is indeed fortuitous.\u201d<\/p>\n

An extraordinary colleague<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Colleagues remember Jones not just as a brilliant economist but also as a consummate faculty member. \u201cHis research was original and influential, his teaching was inspiring, his mentorship was highly sought after, his dedication to the department was unparalleled, and his willingness to talk with colleagues was never exhausted,\u201d says Michael Wolkoff, the associate chair of the department.<\/p>\n

“At Rochester in the \u201970s, the room set for his graduate trade course was always filled to overflowing with economics students and faculty. Some students took the course for credit, while faculty just wanted to see a master at work,” says Robert Flood \u201975 (MA), \u201977 (PhD).<\/div>\n

And Mark Bils, the Hazel Fyfe Professor in Economics, credits Jones with helping shape the economics department from its very beginning. \u201cRon was devoted to the department, especially to its many graduate students. And he did everything with style.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doing it with style<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jones\u2019s style made an impression on Kajal Lahiri \u201974 (MA), \u201975 (PhD), now a Distinguished Professor of Economics, and Health Policy, Management & Behavior at the State University at Albany. \u201cI still vividly remember him in his trade theory classes in 1972 with his typical scarf on,\u201d says Lahiri. \u201cHe used to look like Paul McCartney.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another former student recalls Jones\u2019s \u201cbeautiful\u201d pedagogy. \u201cHis interpretation of the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model was simply beautiful,\u201d says Robert Flood \u201975 (MA), \u201977 (PhD), a professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. \u201cAt Rochester in the \u201970s, the room set for his graduate trade course was always filled to overflowing with economics students and faculty. Some students took the course for credit, while faculty just wanted to see a master at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

But faculty didn\u2019t always agree with Jones, and those moments provided some of Flood\u2019s best memories. \u201cI fondly remember the wonderful fights between Ron and (assistant professor of economics) Bob Fogel, says Flood. Ron believed fervently in the gains from trade. Bob thought of our being born on Ron\u2019s contract curve \u2013 so one person\u2019s gain is another\u2019s loss.\u201d According to Flood, \u201cRon was right and the coffee-room discussions proved it. Everyone gained from the wonderful ideas and discussions Ron brought to the department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honors and awards<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jones was a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. The recipient of the 1994 University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, he was awarded honorary doctoral degrees from six institutions, including the Warsaw School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business, and the Stockholm School of Economics.<\/p>\n

Jones is survived by his wife, Catherine, five children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n