Skip to main content

Vickrey, William Spencer (1914–1996)

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
  • 70 Accesses

Abstract

William Spencer Vickrey was awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Economics ‘for his fundamental contributions to the economic theory of incentives under asymmetric information’. While best known as the father of auction theory, he made important contributions on a broad range of topics including social choice, marginal cost pricing, the design of tax systems, transportation economics, urban economics, and macroeconomics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   8,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Arnott, R. 1998. William Vickrey: Contributions to public policy. International Tax and Public Finance 5: 93–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnott, R., K. Arrow, A. Atkinson, and J. Drèze, eds. 1994. Public economics: Selected papers by William Vickrey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drèze, J.H. 1995. Forty years of public economics: A personal perspective. Journal of Economic Perspectives 9 (2): 111–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harriss, C.L. 2000. William Spencer Vickrey, 1914–1996: Nobel Laureate in Economics. Economic Journal 110: 708–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harsanyi, J. 1955. Cardinal welfare, individualistic ethics, and interpersonal comparisons of utility. Journal of Political Economy 63: 309–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laffont, J.-J. 2003. William Vickrey: A pioneer in the economics of incentives. In Nobel lectures, economics, 1996–2000, ed. T. Persson. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirrlees, J.A. 1971. An exploration in the theory of optimum income taxation. Review of Economic Studies 38: 175–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 1996. Press release, 8 Oct Online. Available at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1996/press.html. Accessed 18 Jan 2007.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Arnott, R. (2018). Vickrey, William Spencer (1914–1996). In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1306

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics