When was Lionel Robbins born and where did he grow up?
Lionel Charles Robbins was born on the 22nd of November 1898 in Sipson west of London. He grew up in a family that belonged to the Strict Baptist church community.
Lionel Charles Robbins was born on the 22nd of November 1898 in Sipson west of London. He grew up in a family that belonged to the Strict Baptist church community.
Lionel Robbins joined the Royal Field Artillery as an officer from August 1916 until 1918. He was wounded by a sniper on the 12th of April 1917 during the Battle of the Lys and returned home with the rank of lieutenant after his recovery.
Robbins defined economics within An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science as the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. This definition reached some general acceptance among economists after contention in the 1930s.
Robbins refused to sign a draft economic policy by Keynes including tariffs because he wanted to submit a minority report instead. The group considered economic policy under Great Depression conditions but Keynes would not grant the request since Robbins stood alone in opposition.
Robbins headed the Economic Section of the Central Economic Information Service as Director from September 1941. A points system devised in 1941 for rationing clothing footwear and household goods proved successful under his leadership alongside Peggy Joseph and James Meade.
On the 16th of June 1959 he was created a life peer as Baron Robbins of Clare Market in Westminster. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1967 and was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 1968 New Year Honours.