Gillis Named to New Chair in Economics

Gillis Named to New Chair in Economics
RICE NEWS OFFICE
April 2, 1998

At last week’s meeting, the Rice Board of Governors approved the appointment
of Malcolm Gillis as the first Ervin Kenneth Zingler Professor of Economics.

The Zingler Chair was established by Gilberta Zingler, former assistant librarian
for resources at Rice’s Fondren Library, to honor her late husband, who was
a professor of economics at the University of Houston.

"This appointment is a fitting recognition of Malcolm’s scholarly contributions
to the economics of tax reform, energy and economic development, and numerous
other related fields," said Rice Provost David Auston. "It has the
full support of the faculty of the Economics Department, the dean of Social
Sciences, the provost, and the Rice Board of Governors."

Gillis, who has had a long and distinguished career as an economist, is widely
known for his extensive involvement in tax reform, energy and development policy
in a host of countries, especially Indonesia, Colombia and Bolivia.

His textbook "The Economics of Development," co-authored by Dwight
Perkins and Donald Snodgrass and published in 1992 by W.W. Norton & Company,
is a classic in its field. He is also the author of numerous monographs, chapters
in books, and articles in economics journals. He has also served as a co-editor
of the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

In addition, Gillis has served as an economic consultant to a wide variety
of multilateral and governmental agencies, including the U.S. Treasury, the
World Bank, Resources for the Future, and numerous energy agencies around the
globe.

"Malcolm Gillis is recognized nationally and internationally as a major
contributor to both economic theory and the application of that theory to economic
policy making," said George Zodrow, chair of Rice’s Economics Department.

"He is universally respected as one of the world’s premier authorities
on tax policy, economic development, and the economics of energy and natural
resources. There is no question that he is the ideal person to be the first
Ervin Kenneth Zingler Professor of Economics."