Walter Y. Oi: Reflections on his Career and his Legacy

Author/s
Eric A. Hanushek
Published Date
Autumn 1990
Publication
Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy 33
Pages
pp. 9-12
When discussing Walter Oi’s career and his legacy, the first thing that must be recognized is that there is an important folklore component. As with all folklore, it is a bit difficult to check the actual data but, in substantial way, the accuracy may be somewhat irrelevant. I was asked to provide some reflections about the scope of Walter’s career, a task which clearly takes me beyond my own personal observations. Therefore, I am forced in part to rely on the lore, and, indeed, my remarks will be heavily weighted toward the Rochester component of that lore that started with his arrival at the Graduate School of Management in 1967 and continued through his move to the Economics Department in 1975.