Surprisingly, for as much as Alberto Alesina’s work has meant to my own understanding of markets and governments, a Google search indicates I’ve only mentioned him by name once before. Amity Shlaes has a wonderful tribute to Alesina, who passed away this weekend, as a person and an economist. The Manhattan Institute announced May 18 that his book on Austerity won the Hayek Book Prize for 2019.
[George Mason University economist Peter] Boettke hopes that Alesina’s “intellectual example inspires a new generation of scholars to pursue political economy” as he did—playfully, honestly, and with an awareness of the power of markets.