Thomas Crombie Schelling American economist and professor Date of Birth: 14.04.1921 Country: USA

Biography of Thomas Crombie Schelling

Thomas Crombie Schelling was an American economist and professor specializing in foreign affairs, national security, nuclear strategy, and arms control. He worked at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park, and closely collaborated with the New England Complex Systems Institute. In 2005, Schelling, along with Robert Aumann, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for expanding the understanding of conflict and cooperation through game theory analysis.

Born to John M. Schelling and Zelda M. Ayres in Oakland, California, Thomas obtained his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1944. He went on to pursue his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University, where he completed his dissertation on the dynamics of national income while working in Europe.

After leaving his government post, Schelling joined the economics faculty at Yale University. In 1958, he became a professor of economics at Harvard University. In 1969, Schelling joined the Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he worked for 20 years. He also conducted extensive research at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.

Schelling's book "The Strategy of Conflict," published in 1960, laid the foundations for the theory of bargaining and strategic behavior in conflict situations. It is considered one of the most influential works in Western economics. His numerous publications on wars, particularly "Arms and Influence" in 1966, also garnered significant interest from fellow scholars.

In 1969, Schelling published the article "Models of Segregation," demonstrating how slight preferences for individuals of a certain skin color can lead to complete segregation. He further explored this topic in his book "Micromotives and Macrobehaviors" in 1978. In 1993, he received the NAS Award for Behavior Research Relevant to the Prevention of Nuclear War from the National Academy of Sciences.

Schelling held honorary doctoral degrees from Yale University and the University of Manchester. He was married to Corinne Tigay Saposs from 1947 to 1991, and they had four children. After their divorce, he remarried Alice M. Coleman.