Donald J. Harris Explained

Donald Harris
Honorific Suffix:OM
Birth Name:Donald Jasper Harris
Birth Date:23 August 1938
Birth Place:Brown's Town, Colony of Jamaica
Discipline:Economics
Sub Discipline:Post-Keynesian development economics
Education:University of London (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
Thesis Title:Inflation, Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth : A Theoretical and Numerical Analysis
Thesis Year:1966
Thesis Url:https://search.library.berkeley.edu/permalink/01UCS_BER/10rhv18/alma991079969079706532
Doctoral Advisor:Daniel McFadden
Workplaces:
Website:Stanford Department of Economics page
Relatives:Harris family

Donald Jasper Harris, (born August 23, 1938) is a Jamaican-American economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University, known for applying post-Keynesian ideas to development economics.[1]

Harris was raised in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, attending the University College of the West Indies before earning a Bachelor's degree from the University of London and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He held professorships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, and University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining Stanford University as professor of economics. He was the first Black scholar granted tenure in the Stanford Department of Economics.

His 1978 book Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution critiques mainstream economic theories, using mathematical modeling to propose an alternative model for thinking about the effects of capital accumulation on income inequality, economic growth, instability, and other phenomena. He has worked extensively on analysis and policy regarding the economy of Jamaica.[2] He served in Jamaica, at various times, as economic policy consultant to the government and as economic adviser to successive prime ministers.[3] [4] [5] On October 18, 2021, he was honored with the Order of Merit, Jamaica's third-highest national honor, "for his outstanding contribution to national development".[6]

He is the father of US Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and lawyer Maya Harris.

Early life and education

Donald Jasper Harris was born in Brown's Town, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica, the son of Oscar Joseph Harris and Beryl Christie Harris,[7] [8] who were Afro-Jamaicans.[9] [10] As a child, Harris learned the catechism, was baptized and confirmed in the Anglican Church, and served as an acolyte.

Harris's paternal grandmother, born Christiana Brown, told Harris that she was descended from Irish-born plantation owner Hamilton Brown (1776–1843), who founded the local Anglican Church where she is buried.[11] Hamilton Brown owned at least 1,120 slaves, most of them on sugar plantations in Saint Ann Parish, and was "instrumental in the importing of several hundred labourers and their families from Ireland to Jamaica between 1835 and 1840".[12]

Harris grew up in the Orange Hill area of Saint Ann Parish, near Brown's Town[13] [14] and graduated from Titchfield High School. He studied at the University College of the West Indies, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London in 1960, and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. His doctoral dissertation, Inflation, Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth: A Theoretical and Numerical Analysis, was supervised by econometrician Daniel McFadden.

Career

Harris was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1966 to 1967 and at Northwestern University from 1967 to 1968. He moved to the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an associate professor in 1968. In 1972, he joined the faculty of Stanford University as a professor of economics, and became the first black scholar to be granted tenure in Stanford's Department of Economics.[15] At various times he was a visiting fellow in Cambridge University and Delhi School of Economics; and visiting professor at Yale University. He served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Economic Literature and the Social and Economic Studies.[16] [17] He is a longtime member of the American Economic Association.[18]

Harris directed the Consortium Graduate School of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies in 1986–1987, and he was a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil in 1990 and 1991, and in Mexico in 1992. In 1998, he retired from Stanford, becoming a professor emeritus.

At Stanford, Harris's doctoral students have included Steven Fazzari, a professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis, and Robert A. Blecker, a professor of economics at American University in Washington, D.C.[15] He helped to develop the new program in Alternative Approaches to Economic Analysis as a field of graduate study. For many years he also taught the undergraduate course Theory of Capitalist Development. He took early retirement from Stanford in 1998 in order to pursue his interest in developing public policies to promote economic growth and advance social equity.[19] [20] [21]

Contributions to economic analysis and policy

Harris's economic philosophy was critical of mainstream economics and questioned orthodox assumptions.[22] The New York Times described him as "a prominent critic of mainstream economic theory from the left".

Harris's research and publications have focused on exploring the process of capital accumulation and its implications for economic growth, arguing that economic inequality and uneven development are inevitable properties of economic growth in a market economy.[23]

Harris is said to work in the tradition of Post-Keynesian economics.[24] [1] He has acknowledged the works of Joan Robinson, Maurice Dobb, Piero Sraffa, Michal Kalecki, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Joseph Schumpeter, and W. Arthur Lewis as influences upon his work.[25] [26] [27]

One of Harris's most notable contributions to economics is his 1978 book Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution, a critique of orthodox economic theories that provides an alternative, synthesizing the work of David Ricardo, Kalecki, Marx, Roy Harrod, and others. He employs mathematical modeling to explore the relationship between the accumulation of capital and income inequality, economic growth, economic instability, and other phenomena, arguing that typical theories fail to adequately consider power, class, and historical context. [28] [29]

Harris has done research on the economy of Jamaica, presenting analyses and reports on the structural conditions, historical performance, and contemporary problems of the economy, as well as developing plans and policies for promoting economic growth and social inclusion. Notable outcomes of this effort are the National Industrial Policy promulgated by the Government of Jamaica in 1996[30] [31] and the Growth Inducement Strategy of 2011.[32] [33] Jamaica has in recent years been considered an economic success story, as it has achieved sustained economic growth and large reductions in public debt. Some allies attribute this success to an agreement that between Jamaica and the International Monetary Fund that was made possible through Harris's growth strategy for Jamaica.

Books

Harris is the author of the monograph Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution, published in 1978 by Stanford University Press.[34]

Harris has also published several books on the economy of Jamaica, including Jamaica's Export Economy: Towards a Strategy of Export-led Growth (Ian Randle Publishers, 1997)[35] and A Growth-Inducement Strategy for Jamaica in the Short and Medium Term (edited with G. Hutchinson, Planning Institute of Jamaica, 2012).[36]

Publications

Personal life

Harris arrived at the University of California, Berkeley on the Issa Scholarship (founded and funded by Kingston merchant Elias A. Issa in the 1930s) in the fall of 1961.[37] Later in the fall of 1962, he spoke at a meeting of the Afro-American Association, a students' group at Berkeley.[37] After his talk, he met Shyamala Gopalan (1938–2009), a graduate student in nutrition and endocrinology from India at UC Berkeley who was in the audience.[37] According to Harris, "We talked then, continued to talk at a subsequent meeting, and at another, and another."[37] In July 1963, he married Shyamala.[37]

Harris and Shyamala had two children: Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president of the United States; and Maya Harris, a lawyer and political commentator;[15] [37] the couple divorced in 1971.[38] The children visited Harris's family in Jamaica as they grew up.[13] [39] Harris dedicated his 1978 book to his daughters. Amid his children's rise to prominence, Harris leads a discreet life as of 2024, rejecting multiple interview requests from media outlets in recent years.[40] [41]

At some time prior to May 2015, Harris became a naturalized U.S. citizen, and reportedly has a residence in Washington, D.C.[42] [43] [44] [40]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Donald J. Harris, 1938– . The History of Economic Thought . . August 11, 2020.
  2. Web site: Donald J. Harris . Stanford University | Department of Economics .
  3. News: Stein . Jeff . 2024-08-13 . Jamaican officials needed help. They turned to Kamala Harris's dad. . Washington Post . en.
  4. Book: Patterson, Percival J. . 2018 . My Political Journey . University of the West Indies Press . 220 . 9789766407018.
  5. Web site: Planning Institute of Jamaica Hires Growth Expert . The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica . November 24, 2010 .
  6. Web site: Prof Donald Harris, father of US vice president, to receive Jamaica's third highest honour. Jamaica Observer. August 6, 2021.
  7. News: McDermott. Peter. Running mates share a family name. The Irish Echo. September 23, 2020. April 1, 2022.
  8. News: Who is Donald Harris? Kamala's Jamaican dad is a prominent economist. Loop Caribbean News. November 10, 2020. April 1, 2022.
  9. Book: Packer, Robert B.. After Obama: African American Politics in a Post-Obama Era. NYU Press. 2021. Shaw. Todd. Brown. Robert A.. McCormick II. Joseph P. . Foreign Policy during and after Barack Obama. 9781479807277. 2020012642. https://books.google.com/books?id=rAjSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT221. Biden overtly considered several Black women as his vice-presidential running mates and finally selected US Senator Kamala Harris of California. Harris self-identifies as a Black woman of Afro-Jamaican and Indian (Tamil) heritage..
  10. Book: Shaw. Todd. Desipio. Louis. Pinderhughes. Dianne. Frasure. Lorrie. Travis. Toni-Michelle C.. Uneven Roads: An Introduction to U.S. Racial and Ethnic Politics. CQ Press. 2024. 978-1-0718-2458-0 . Contrast this with former Democratic U.S. senator from California Kamala Harris, who is the first woman of color to be elected vice president of the United States. Harris's mother was India and her father was (sic) of Afro-Jamaican ancestry.
  11. Web site: Kamala Harris' Jamaican Heritage – Updated: Reflections of a Jamaica's father. D.. Harris. Jamaica Global. January 14, 2019.
  12. Web site: 'Hamilton Brown', Legacies of British Slavery database, UCL Profile & Legacies Summary. H.. Brown. University College London. July 31, 2024.
  13. News: Harris . Donald J. . September 26, 2018 . Reflections of a Jamaican Father . I would go to her shop to wait for the drive home to Orange Hill., as published in News: January 14, 2019 . Kamala Harris' Jamaican Heritage . Jamaica Global Online.
  14. News: Did U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris' Ancestor Own Slaves in Jamaica? . Snopes.
  15. News: Barry . Ellen . August 21, 2020 . Kamala Harris's father, a footnote in her speeches, is a prominent economist . August 24, 2020 . The New York Times.
  16. Nominating Committee Members and Editorial Boards . 1914337 . 6 . 1985 . The American Economic Review . 75 . 653–654 .
  17. Web site: Social and Economic Studies | JSTOR .
  18. Web site: Historical Overview . Faculty of Social Sciences . UWI.edu.
  19. Searching for an alternative economic model. 10.1111/newe.12107 . 2018 . Rodrik . Dani . Perez . Carlota . Nesvetailova . Anastasia . Harris . Donald J. . MacFarlane. Laurie . Perrons . Diane . IPPR Progressive Review . 25 . 2 . 114–132 . 158883249.
  20. 'Better' education, trade breaks hurt Caribbean nations, economist says . Stanford University News Service . October 19, 1994 .
  21. Web site: A new economic plan for Jamaica . Jamaica Observer . March 18, 2011 .
  22. News: Barry . Ellen . August 21, 2020 . Kamala Harris's father, a footnote in her speeches, is a prominent economist. . July 24, 2024 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  23. News: Who's Who in Economics . Third . 1990 . 499–500 .
  24. Book: Harcourt, Geoffrey . 2006 . The Structure of Post-Keynesian Economics . Cambridge University Press . 9780521833875.
  25. Book: 10.1057/9780230348653_12 . Joan Robinson and Her Circle (2005) . The Making of a Post-Keynesian Economist . 2012 . Harcourt . G. C. . 183–200 . 978-1-349-32988-5 .
  26. Steedman, Ian (1988). Sraffian Economics. Vol. I. Edward Elgar.
  27. Howard, M. C.; King, J. E. (1976). The Economics of Marx, Penguin Education.
  28. Jones-Hendrickson . S. B. . 1980 . Review of Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution . Social and Economic Studies . 29 . 1 . 144–146 . 27861872.
  29. 1818873 . Harris . Donald J. . The Theory of Economic Growth: A Critique and Reformulation . The American Economic Review . 1975 . 65 . 2 . 329–337 .
  30. Web site: National Industrial Policy, A Strategic Plan for Growth and Development . April 25, 1996 . Jamaica Information Service.
  31. News: Jamaica Observer . The National Industrial Policy revisited . August 17, 2003 . Anthony . Gomes.
  32. Web site: A Growth-Inducement Strategy for Jamaica in the Short and Medium Term . Gladstone . Hutchinson . Donald J. . Harris . Planning Institute of Jamaica . 2012 . Kingston, Jamaica.
  33. Web site: PIOJ introduces Growth Inducement Strategy . March 22, 2011 . Jamaica Information Service . Douglas . McIntosh.
  34. Reviews of Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution:
    • Kurz . Heinz D. . Heinz D. Kurz . 1979 . Reviewed Work: Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution Donald J. Harris . Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv . 115 . 4 . 776–779 . 40438898.
    • Mainwaring . Lynn . June 1979 . Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution. By Donald J. HarrisA. (Henley: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978. pp. ix + 313. £8.50.) . The Economic Journal . 89 . 354 . 447–449 . 10.2307/2231629 . 2231629.
    • Lefeber . Louis . Steedman . Ian . Ian Steedman . August 1979 . Reviewed Work: Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution Donald J. Harris . The Canadian Journal of Economics . 12 . 3 . 545–546 . 10.2307/134753 . 134753.
    • Jones-Hendrickson . S. B. . March 1980 . none . Social and Economic Studies . 29 . 1 . 144–146 . 27861872.
    • Baru . Sanjaya . Sanjaya Baru . April 19, 1980 . Inadequacies of New Growth Theory . Economic and Political Weekly . 15 . 16 . 741–742 . 4368585.
    • Baru . Sanjaya . May 1980 . Capitalist Accumulation and Theories of Growth . Social Scientist . 8 . 10 . 65–69 . 10.2307/3516645 . 3516645.
    • Pashardes . Panos . July 1980 . none . The Journal of Development Studies . 16 . 4 . 487–488 . 10.1080/00220388008421774.
    • Harcourt . G. C. . Geoffrey Harcourt . September 1980 . none . Journal of Economic Literature . 18 . 3 . 1084–1086 . 2723980.
    • Taylor . LeRoy O. . June 1981 . Review Article: Donald J. Harris, Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution (Routledge and Kegan Paul), 1978, 313p. . Social and Economic Studies . 30 . 2 . 164–174 . 27861942.
    • Menchik . Paul L.. Eloian . Edward M. . October 1981 . none . Southern Economic Journal . 48 . 2 . 540 . 10.2307/1057969 . 1057969.
    • Glynn . Sean. December 1981. Profitability and Unemployment . The Economic Journal . 91 . 364 . 1039–1041 . 10.2307/2232513. 2232513.
  35. News: How the IMF can help Jamaica unleash growth . Jamaica Observer . Keith . Collister . November 15, 2017.
  36. News: How to unlock growth in Jamaica . Jamaica Observer. Keith . Collister . October 22, 2014.
  37. News: Barry . Ellen . How Kamala Harris's Immigrant Parents Found a Home, and Each Other, in a Black Study Group . New York Times . September 13, 2020 . September 13, 2020.
  38. Web site: Rani . Rikha Sharma . October 25, 2020 . The Woman Who Led Kamala Harris to This Moment . July 28, 2024 . The Atlantic . en.
  39. News: Dolan. Casey. How Kamala Harris' immigrant parents shaped her life – and her political outlook. August 14, 2020. The Mercury News. February 10, 2019. Kamala also visited far-flung family in India and Jamaica as she grew up, getting her first taste of the broader world..
  40. News: Schouten. Fredreka. Todd. Zoë. Merrill. Curt. Manley. Byron. Kamala Harris's family history runs deep in Brown's Town, Jamaica. August 17, 2024. CNN. August 17, 2024. Donald Harris did not respond to several interview requests from CNN and largely has shied away from publicity — even as his daughter stands on the cusp of another history-making milestone in his adopted country..
  41. News: Cadelago. Cadelago. Kamala Harris shamed by Jamaican father over pot-smoking joke. August 17, 2024. Politico. February 20, 2019. In an email reviewed by POLITICO, Donald Harris indicated he wasn’t interested in discussing the issue further publicly: “I have decided to stay out of all the political hullabaloo by not engaging in any interviews with the media,” he wrote..
  42. Web site: Donald J. Harris Professional career . https://web.archive.org/web/20150405060406/https://web.stanford.edu/~dharris/professional_career.htm . April 5, 2015 . live . Stanford University . October 12, 2020. Citizenship .. Jamaica (by birth); USA (by naturalization)..
  43. News: . Donald Harris, Kamala Harris's Father: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know . https://web.archive.org/web/20190302023650/https://heavy.com/news/2019/02/donald-harris-kamala-father-dad-jamaican/ . March 2, 2019 . February 21, 2019 . Jessica . McBride . Donald Harris is also known as Donald J. Harris. He was born in Jamaica and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, according to his Stanford University biography..
  44. News: . Sen. Kamala Harris's Parents Met During the Civil Rights Movement . Monica . Chon . August 12, 2020 . According to Harris's 2018 autobiography, Donald was born in Jamaica in 1938 and immigrated to the United States to get his doctorate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He eventually became a naturalized United States citizen..

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