Remembering Professor Gustav Fritz Papanek

Boston University, Boston, USA. Photo by Aubrey Odom-Mabey via Unsplash.

On September 20, 2022, Professor Gustav ‘Gus’ Fritz Papanek, renowned development economist who devoted 50 years of work to the field, passed away – leaving behind an impressive academic legacy. As President of the Boston Institute for Developing Economies (BIDE) and Professor of Economics Emeritus at Boston University (BU), he was committed to his life’s work, focusing on income distribution, employment and poverty in developing countries. His oeuvre includes eight books, 50 articles and 52 other publications throughout his life, with a distinct commitment on not just scholarly advancement but real world impact through policy engagement.

Born in Vienna, Austria on July 12, 1926, Gus and his family left Europe with the help of the International Rescue Committee in 1940. After coming to New York, Gus attended Cornell University and enlisted in the US Army in World War II. Following the war, he graduated from Cornell University and went on to receive both his master’s and PhD in economics from Harvard University.

Gus held many important positions throughout his life, directing 16 major policy advisory and research teams, mostly on aspects of development strategy and poverty. He lived and worked in Asia, Africa and Latin America and built for himself an esteemed reputation as an expert, particularly on Pakistan and Indonesia. After spending several years at Harvard University, Gus moved to BU in 1974 where he initially served as the Chair of Economics, building a distinguished department with a focus on development economics. For the next 30 years, he also served as President of BIDE, which provides expert advisors and consultants to governments and other institutions around the world.

Gus’s excellence in the field is exemplified by the numerous leadership and advisory roles he engaged in, from his leadership of the Harvard University Development Advisory Service to several United States Agency for International Development, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Harvard University advisory and research teams. Gus leaves behind an indelible legacy not just in his prolific written repertoire, but also in the two generations of economists he trained to leave an impact on the world.