Israel Kirzner

Rabbi Dr. Israel M. Kirzner

Israel Meir Kirzner (Yisroel Mayer Kirzner) (born February 13, 1930) is a leading economist in the Austrian School.

Early life

The son of a well-known rabbi and Talmudist, Kirzner was born in London, England and came to the United States via South Africa.

Education

After studying with the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1947-48 and with the University of London External Programme in 1950-51, Kirzner received his B.A. summa cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1954, an MBA in 1955 and Ph.D. from New York University in 1957 (studying under Ludwig von Mises).

Economics

Kirzner's major work is in the economics of knowledge and entrepreneurship and the ethics of markets. He is emeritus professor of economics at New York University, and is a leading authority on Ludwig von Mises' thinking and methodology in economics.

Author

Some of his major works on economics include:

"Entrepreneurial Discovery and The Competitive Market Process: An Austrian Approach," Journal of Economic Literature. (March 1997)
The Meaning of Market Process. (Routledge 1992)
Discovery, Capitalism and Distributive Justice. (Basil Blackwell 1989)
The Economic Point of View: An Essay in the History of Economic Thought. (Kansas City: Sheed and Ward, Inc., 1976; [1])
Competition and Entrepreneurship, (Chicago 1973), ISBN 0-226-43776-0.

Orthodox Judaism expert

Kirzner is also an ordained Haredi rabbi and Talmud scholar, and serves as the rabbi of the congregation once headed by his father in Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the most famous disciples of Rabbi Isaac Hutner, the late dean of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, where he studied for many years during the same years he obtained his academic training. Kirzner is an authority on Hutner's writings and is one of the few official editors of all sources that Hutner quotes.

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