23/06/2023

Mathematical economics at IMPA is the subject of an award-winning thesis.

The doctoral thesis “The Dissemination of Mathematical Economics through a History of Departments,” by economist Matheus Assaf (USP), is the winner of the Joseph Dorfman Award for Best Dissertation – 2023. The work, which has a chapter dedicated to the influence of IMPA (Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics) on the academic training of economists since the 1960s, is the first Brazilian research to be awarded by the History of Economics Society . The institute recognizes the best doctoral theses submitted by students from around the world.

The award ceremony took place this Saturday (24), in Vancouver, Canada, during the institution's annual conference, one of the most important international meetings of economic historians.

Funded by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) , the work shows that, although dedicated to mathematics, IMPA has always maintained ties with economics disciplines. IMPA contributed to mathematical economics in Brazil, which developed from close links with North American academia. In this context, emeritus researcher Aloisio Araujo stands out, as well as Leopoldo Nachbin, Maurício Peixoto, and Elon Lima – mathematicians with significant international connections who shaped the creation of the institute in 1952.

With a strong focus on pure mathematics, the article shows that the development of applied mathematics became a necessity that later made IMPA a key player in the dissemination of mathematical economics in Brazil.

“ Developing applied mathematics activities was important to legitimize public funding, and while the administration struggled for alternatives, mathematical economics became an early option due to the influence of Mário Henrique Simonsen [economist, professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation and Minister of Finance during the Geisel government]. Although Simonsen had a brief stint at the institute, before becoming a full-time economist, this connection had impacts on the image of economics at IMPA and on Simonsen's participation in the professionalization of economics in Brazil,” says an excerpt from the dissertation.

Simonsen even taught in the first mathematical economics course at IMPA in 1957. At the time, the institute only offered open courses – far from the current postgraduate model. It was from 1967 onwards, when it began to receive funding from Funtec (Fund for Technical-Scientific Development), that IMPA started offering master's and doctoral programs.

"The expansion of postgraduate studies at IMPA led to an influx of students from other fields, including economics. Aloisio Araujo (emeritus researcher at IMPA) was part of a group of economics students at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) dissatisfied with the mathematics education offered at the university. Seeking advanced training options, he and some colleagues enrolled in a course at IMPA in 1965," the article states.

The text also highlights that in the late 1970s, after completing his doctorate at Berkeley, California, Araujo was invited by the then director-general of IMPA, Lindolpho de Carvalho Dias, to take over the institute's activities in the area of mathematical economics – which emphasizes IMPA's contribution to the academic training of economists.

"IMPA's graduate program has produced a number of researchers who have become active participants in the economy. Thus, in addition to its role in the history of Brazilian mathematics, IMPA has become a significant institution for understanding the development of the Brazilian economy," concluded the author of the article.

The study, which included an interview with researcher Aloisio Araujo as well as document analysis, was submitted to History of Political Economy, the most important scientific journal in the field.