Hans Singer British economist, one of the authors of the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis. Date of Birth: 29.11.1910 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Refugee in Britain
3. Career in Development Economics
4. Singer-Prebisch Hypothesis
5. Knighthood and Legacy

Early Life and Education

Hans Wolfgang Singer was born on September 8, 1910, in Elberfeld, Germany, into a Jewish family. Aspiring to become a physician, he initially studied medicine. However, after attending lectures by renowned economist Joseph Schumpeter in Bonn, Singer switched to economics.

Refugee in Britain

In 1933, the rise of Nazi Germany forced Singer to flee to Great Britain, where he was granted refugee status. Continuing his studies under Schumpeter and John Maynard Keynes, he obtained his doctorate in economics in 1936.

Career in Development Economics

Singer's major contributions to economics focused on international trade and the international division of labor. His influential works in the 1950s laid the foundation for development economics. Throughout his career, he consulted extensively for governments of developing countries and international organizations. From 1969 onwards, he was a professor at the University of Sussex.

Singer-Prebisch Hypothesis

Singer is best known for co-authoring the Singer-Prebisch hypothesis. It states that the terms of trade, i.e., the ratio between the prices of raw materials and manufactured goods, tend to shift over time in favor of producers of finished goods, while commodity-exporting economies experience a relative decline.

Knighthood and Legacy

In 1994, Singer was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He passed away in Brighton on March 19, 2006, at the age of 95. Singer's work continues to shape economic thinking on the global distribution of wealth and the challenges faced by developing economies.