Eytan Sheshinski, noted Israeli economist and head of government commissions

Ideas and Lives

Eytan Sheshinski describes growing up in Haifa, Israel with parents who emigrated from Germany and Switzerland in the 1930s to a kibbutz. While initially joining a kibbutz and understanding economics from a Marxist perspective, Eytan talks of his excitement in learning modern economics first at Hebrew University under famed Israel economist Don Patinkin and later at MIT. After building a strong research record in public economics as a highly respected professor of economics, he served without pay as the head of two commissions to ensure that the Israeli public obtained its fair share of profits from oil, gas, and potash resources. Eytan discusses the challenges he faced and the ultimate satisfaction he derived from his public service.