Richard N. Cooper, Harvard economist and adviser to presidents, dies at 86
By Globe Staff and Wire ReportsUpdated February 3, 2021, 7:29 p.m.
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Dr. Cooper served n four presidential administrations.Cooper family
With his 1968 book âThe Economics of Interdependenceâ and his other writings of that period, economist Richard N. Cooper promoted cooperation among nations, even when doing so required considerable effort.
âThe trend toward greater economic interdependence among countries will require substantial changes in their approach to foreign policy in the next decade or so,â he wrote in a 1972 article for the journal World Politics.
His publications on the topic can be seen as âthe original foundation of the study of international cooperation or coordination of macroeconomic policy,â Jeffrey A. Frankel a friend and a Harvard Kennedy School professor, wrote recently in an online tribute to Dr. Cooper.
In the 1960s, Richard N. Cooper rode his bicycle to work every day at the Council of Economic Advisers in Washington, D.C.
The first time Cooper attended a meeting with then-President John F. Kennedy â40, Kennedy stopped the meeting to ask, âWho is that kid?â upon seeing Cooper, according to Harvard Kennedy School professor Jeffrey A. Frankel, a friend of Cooperâs.
Cooper was âalways much younger than his age,â Frankel said.
Though he may have looked young for his age, Cooper â who taught international economics at Harvard starting in 1981 and served in four different U.S. presidential administrations â was a talented economist, public servant, and professor, according to his colleagues.