Robert Theobald

From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Fri Dec 31 1999 - 13:17:55 MST


I just learned, somewhat to my shock, that the British-US economist and
social thinker Bob Theobald died on 27 November. A series of his most
recent talks can be read using the urls listed at

http://abc.net.au/rn/events/theobald.htm

Back in the '60s I was struck by his careful analysis of the benefits of a
guaranteed income floor, or negative income tax for the poor and workless,
and published a little on the notion. Discussing this idea in THE SPIKE, I
was able to recycle almost all my comments from 30 years earlier -
Theobald's ideas were still salient, and even more urgent. In his last
years, dying from cancer of the esophagus, Bob turned in a somewhat `new
age' direction I did not like at all, although he disputed this description
when I mentioned it diffidently in one of the few email conversations I was
privileged to have with him. His writing is worth examining.

Damien Broderick



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