Economists that made a contribution, influenced your thinking, etc.
I always saw Milton Friedman as a changing agent, but, he was more than that. One of the very first books I read as a freshman in college majoring in economics was Free to Choose. It impacted my life. It not only entice me to study economics, it made me see the field as an array of analytical tools that can be used to promote liberty. Leaving Latin America in the 1980s and coming to study to the U.S., I had preconceptions of how Friedman’s thinking affected countries south of the border, e.g. Chile. Debate still rages about economic policies that politicians forced down to citizens was too harsh based on Friedman’s theories, but his analysis and prescriptions have worked for many developed economies. Unfortunately, many countries in Latin America are revering back to approaches with Marxist undertones tried before. Time will tell how they fare. Regardless, Friedman has left us a legacy of economic thought that no one can deny has made this a better world.
