Finn E. Kydland (born 1943) is a Norwegian economist. He is currently a professor of Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He previously taught at the Tepper School of Business of Carnegie Mellon University. Kydland was a co-recipient of the 2004 Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (shared with Edward C. Prescott), "for their contributions to dynamic macroeconomics: the time consistency of economic policy and the driving forces behind business cycles".

Life and education

Kydland grew up as the eldest of six siblings at the family farm in Søyland, Gjesdal, which is located in the Jæren farming region in Rogaland county, southwestern Norway. He recalls having had a liberal upbringing, his parents not imposing many limitations on their children. Finn Kydland became interested in maths and economics as a young adult, after he did some bookkeeping at a friend's mink farm.

With a freshly awaken interest in theoretical economics, Kydland earned a B.S. from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in 1968 and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon in 1973. After his Ph.D. he returned to NHH as an assistant professor. In 1978 he moved back to Carnegie Mellon as an associate professor. He has been living in the US since then.

Aside from work, he nurtures a deep interest in blues music, and also in keeping fit; he has run the marathon four times, and enjoys playing and watching soccer. His favorite soccer team is Boca Juniors. He frequently rides his Ducati motorcycle.

Scholarship

Kydland's areas of expertise are economics in general and political economy. His main areas of teaching and interest are business cycles, monetary and fiscal policy and labor economics. He joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in 1977, where he served as a Professor of Economics until July 1, 2004, when he joined the faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is also an Adjunct Professor at NHH, Norway, and consults as a Research Associate at the Federal Reserve Banks of Dallas, Minneapolis and Cleveland.

Awards, fellowships

• Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (2004)
• Fellow, Econometric Society (1992– )
• John Stauffer National Fellowship, Hoover Institution (1982–1983)
• Alexander Henderson Award, Carnegie Mellon (1973)

External links

• Faculty information from Carnegie Mellon University
• Information from nobelprize.org
• Econometric Society
• Alexander Henderson Award
• "Kydland and Prescott: Two Great Economists"