Janos Kornai Hungarian economist Date of Birth: 21.01.1928 Country: Hungary

Biography of János Kornai

János Kornai was born in 1928 in Budapest, Hungary. He was originally named Kornhauser, but changed his surname after 1945. He grew up in a Jewish family, but his father tragically became a victim of the Holocaust and perished in Auschwitz.

Kornai studied philosophy at Pázmány Páter University in Budapest for two years, and later defended his doctoral dissertation at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Interestingly, his interest in economics was sparked after reading Karl Marx's "Das Kapital".

In 1947, Kornai began his career as an economic observer for the newspaper "Szabad Nép", the official publication of the Hungarian Communist Party. However, he was dismissed in 1955 for his "lack of communist convictions".

In the same year, Kornai found employment at the newly established Institute of Economics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He received support from Imre Nagy, a prominent Hungarian reformer and political figure. Kornai was appointed as the leader of a working group tasked with developing a comprehensive program for the reform of the Hungarian economy. During this time, he wrote his first work, "Overcentralization", which was published as a book in the United Kingdom in 1959. This book stood out from the economic literature of the socialist bloc at that time as it described the actual functioning of the socialist economy, rather than presenting an idealized version.

Kornai's works became popular not only for their scholarly depth but also for his ability to explain economic concepts in a simple and accessible manner, free from ideological biases. His works were even unofficially translated and appreciated in the Soviet Union, where he effectively dissected the deep-rooted problems of socialism.

In 1958, Kornai temporarily left the Institute of Economics due to the political situation in the country. Over the following years, he held positions at the Planning Bureau for Light Industry (1958-1960), the Institute of Textile Industry (1960-1963), and later the Computer Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1963-1967).

In 1967, Kornai returned to the Institute of Economics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, where he served as a professor until 1993. He also held a professorship at Harvard University from 1986 to 2002. Kornai was a member and president of the Econometric Society and an honorary professor at the Central European University. He was also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

In 2007, Kornai published his memoir, "By Force of Thought", which deeply analyzed the social and political environment in which he lived and worked. One of his most significant works is the 1988 book "The Socialist System: The Political Economy of Communism". Additionally, Kornai is well-known for his works such as "Economics of Shortage", "The Road to a Free Economy", and "Highway and Byways".

Currently, János Kornai is involved in the project "Honesty and Trust in the Light of Post-Socialist Transition" at Collegium Budapest, where he is an honorary member.