Tinbergen, Jan (1903-1994), a Dutch economist, shared the first Nobel Prize in economic sciences with Ragnar Frisch of Norway in 1969. Tinbergen and Frisch received the award for their contributions to the field of econometrics (mathematical analysis of economic activity).
Tinbergen was born on April 12, 1903, in The Hague. He graduated from Leiden University in 1929. From 1933 to 1973, he was a professor at the Netherlands School of Economics (now part of Erasmus University) in Rotterdam. In the late 1930’s, he worked with the League of Nations and developed new methods for measuring economic activity. Tinbergen also served with the Dutch government’s Central Bureau of Statistics. He was chairman of the United Nations Committee for Development Planning from 1965 to 1972.
Tinbergen wrote influential books on business cycles, economic policy, and other topics. He died in Amsterdam on June 9, 1994.
