Sir Hans Wolfgang Singer (1910–2006) was a German-born British development economist best known for the Singer–Prebisch thesis, which states that there is an inherent bias in international trade against the interests of developing countries. He is one of the primary figures of heterodox economics.
Early career
Before he joined the United Nations (UN) in 1947, at the age of 37, he was already well-established in the British university world, having held positions in economics in Manchester and Glasgow, as well as undertaking a diversity of research activities.
The UN
During his 22-year career with the United Nations, he worked for the Economic Affairs Department (now DESA), helped lay the foundations for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through his work on the UN Special Fund and the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA), undertook assignments for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provided the intellectual rationale for the World Food Programme (WFP) and also spent time with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Working at IDS
In 1969, he left the UN to join the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) as an IDS Professional Fellow. He produced about 30 books under his name and nearly 300 other publications.
Awards
The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) awarded its honorary fellowship to Hans Singer in 1977. Singer was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. In 2001 the UN World Food Programme awarded him the Food for Life award in recognition of his contribution to the battle against world hunger. In November 2004, Singer was awarded the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Development Studies Association.
Singer died in Brighton on 26 February 2006.
Notable works
Singer, H. (2006) That One Per Cent Aid Target (Some Reflections on the Arithmetic of International Targetry), IDS Bulletin 37.4: 8-11
Singer, H. W. (1995) Revitalizing the United Nations: Five Proposals, IDS Bulletin 26.4: 35-40
Singer, H. W. and Jolly, R. (1995) Fifty Years on: The UN and Economic and Social Development an Overview, IDS Bulletin 26.4: 2-6
Singer, H. W. (1989) Keynes, Seers and Economic Development, IDS Bulletin 20. 3: 3-8
Singer, H. (1985) Some Problems of Emergency Food Aid for Sub Saharan Africa, IDS Bulletin 16.3: 9-13
Singer, H. (1984) Ideas and Policy: the sources of UNCTAD, IDS Bulletin 15.3: 14-17
Chambers, R., Clay, E., Singer, H., and Lipton, M. (1981) Food Policy Issues In Low–Income Countries, World Bank Staff Working Paper 473, Washington, DC: World Bank
Singer, H. W. (1976) Beyond Commodity Policy: Structural Changes and Financial Compensation, IDS Bulletin 7.4: 34-35
Singer, H. W. (1975) Employment Policies in Developing Countries, IDS Bulletin 7.2: 37-38
Singer, H. W. (1975) Shirley Hazzard, Defeat of an Ideal. A study of the self?destruction of the United Nations, IDS Bulletin 7.1: 30-31
Singer, H. W. (1970) The Foreign Company as an Exporters of Technology, IDS Bulletin 3.1: 8-15