Simon S. Kuznets: April 30, 1901-July 9, 1985

Abstract

This paper, prepared for the Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, presents an account of the scholarly career of Simon S. Kuznets. Among the issues considered are his contribution to the development of the empirical tradition in economics, his transformation of the field of national income accounting, his use of national income accounting during World War II to set production targets for both the military and civilian sectors of the economy, and to guide the implementation of those targets; his development of a theory of economic growth, his investigation of the interrelationship between economic growth and population growth, his contribution to methods of measurement in economics, and his legacy to the economics profession.