John Harris

John R. Harris was a prominent American economist and Professor of Economics at Boston University, known for his significant contributions to the field of development economics.12 Born on February 7, 1934, he passed away on July 7, 2018, at the age of 84.13

Academic Background and Career

Harris earned his PhD in economics from Northwestern University in 1967.12 His academic career included:

• Assistant Professor at MIT (1966-1970)
• Associate Professor at MIT (1970-1975)
• Professor of Economics at Boston University (1975-2018)12

During his time at Boston University, Harris also served as the Director of the African Studies Center from 1975 to 1988.1

Research and Contributions

Harris is best known for his work on labor markets and wages, particularly the Harris-Todaro Model, which he co-developed with Michael Todaro.1 This model, published in the American Economic Review in 1970, is considered one of the 20 most influential economic papers of all time.12 It addressed significant shortcomings in existing development theory and became a foundation of contemporary Development Economics.1

His research was based on observations of Nigerian and Kenyan labor markets, and he spent time as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies in Nairobi from 1968 to 1969.12

Professional Engagements

Throughout his career, Harris worked with numerous governmental and non-governmental agencies, including:

• USAID
• World Bank
• International Labor Organization
• World Health Organization
• Canadian International Development Research Center
• Ford Foundation
• Rockefeller Foundation
• UN Economic Commission for Africa
• UN Development Programme1

He was also a member of the Advisory Group of the Macroeconomic Research Network for Eastern and Southern Africa, which later became the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).1

John Harris's LinkedIn profile username is john-harris-aa660b51, as mentioned in the query.4