Economist. He won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Economics, for his contributions to market theory and the efficient utilization of resources. As a student in the early 1930s Allais toured Depression-era America, which he called "a graveyard of factories", and this decided his future career. He earned a doctorate from the University of Paris in 1949, by which time he had already written his two most important books, "In Quest of an Economic Discipline (1943) and "Economy and Interest" (1947). His work influenced many economists, including three who won Nobels years before Allais did, but was not well-known outside of France because little of it was translated into English. Among his many other awards was the Gold Medal of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), considered by many the most distinguished honor in French Science. Allais died at age 99 at his home near Paris.

Economist. He won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Economics, for his contributions to market theory and the efficient utilization of resources. As a student in the early 1930s Allais toured Depression-era America, which he called "a graveyard of factories", and this decided his future career. He earned a doctorate from the University of Paris in 1949, by which time he had already written his two most important books, "In Quest of an Economic Discipline (1943) and "Economy and Interest" (1947). His work influenced many economists, including three who won Nobels years before Allais did, but was not well-known outside of France because little of it was translated into English. Among his many other awards was the Gold Medal of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), considered by many the most distinguished honor in French Science. Allais died at age 99 at his home near Paris.

Bio by: Fred Beisser