Donald Lamberton
economist · university teacher
- November 28, 2014
- 87 years
About Donald Lamberton
Donald Lamberton, 87, Australian economist.
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Full Biography
|Donald McLean Lamberton AO (29 July 1927 – 28 November 2014) was an Australian economist. His work focused on information economics.
Early life and career
Lamberton grew up in New South Wales. Homeschooled until the age of eleven, he went to work at the Bank of New South Wales in May 1942, aged just fourteen years. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Sydney in 1949. He then worked for the Sydney Morning Herald as a financial journalist and the Sydney Stock Exchange in research and statistics.
Academic positions
In 1953, Lamberton joined the University of New England as a lecturer. With funding from the Australian War Services Canteen Trust Fund, he moved to the University of Oxford in 1957 to read for his PhD at Merton College. His thesis "The Theory of Profit" was accepted in 1962 and published in 1965. Concurrently, he was a senior lecturer (later, associate professor) at the University of New South Wales from 1960 to 1969. In 1966 he visited the United States as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University until 1967.
From 1969 to 1972, Lamberton was a professor at Case Western Reserve University and then, from 1973 to 1989, a chair in economics at the University of Queensland. From 1989 to 1992 he worked in Melbourne as co-director of the Centre for International Research on Communications and Information Technologies. Lamberton was at the Australian National University from 1992 to 2004, in their Urban Research Programme and Public Policy Programme. In 2005 he moved to the Queensland University of Technology.
Writing
He authored over 20 books, 60 book chapters, 40 articles, and 30 reports, including:
Books edited
- Industrial Economies, 1971
- Economics of Information and Knowledge, Penguin, 1971
- The Information Revolution, 1974
- The Trouble with Technology (with Ken Boulding), 1983
- The Economics of Language, 2002
Journals edited
In 1983 he founded Prometheus and was general editor for most of the rest of his life.
Writing about his work
A festschrift honoring his work was published in 1999. In December 2015, the journal Prometheus published a special issue of papers written by his students.
Awards
In 2006 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for "service to economics, as a leading academic and researcher in the field of information economics through the multidisciplinary study of the impact of technology, information and society on economic development".
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Lamberton
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Donald Lamberton's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the date of birth of Donald McLean Lamberton?
- A.29 July 1927correct
- B.14 May 1942
- C.12 July 1929
- D.28 November 2014
Donald McLean Lamberton was born on 29 July 1927.
Source: biographical introduction
2.At what age did Donald McLean Lamberton start working at the Bank of New South Wales?
- A.Twenty-one
- B.Eighteen
- C.Eleven
- D.Fourteencorrect
Donald McLean Lamberton went to work at the Bank of New South Wales in May 1942, aged just fourteen years.
Source: early life and career
3.Which university awarded Donald McLean Lamberton his economics degree in 1949?
- A.University of Oxford
- B.University of Sydneycorrect
- C.University of Queensland
- D.University of New South Wales
Donald McLean Lamberton earned a degree in economics from the University of Sydney in 1949.
Source: early life and career
4.Where did Donald McLean Lamberton study for his PhD starting in 1957?
- A.University of Queensland
- B.University of Oxfordcorrect
- C.University of Pittsburgh
- D.Stanford University
Donald McLean Lamberton moved to the University of Oxford in 1957 to read for his PhD at Merton College.
Source: academic positions
5.What was the title of Donald McLean Lamberton's PhD thesis?
- A.Industrial Economies
- B.The Theory of Profitcorrect
- C.The Economics of Language
- D.The Information Revolution
Donald McLean Lamberton's thesis was titled The Theory of Profit and was accepted in 1962.
Source: academic positions
6.Donald McLean Lamberton visited the United States as a Fulbright scholar at which two universities?
- A.University of Sydney and University of Melbourne
- B.Case Western Reserve University and University of Oxford
- C.University of Queensland and Stanford University
- D.University of Pittsburgh and Stanford Universitycorrect
In 1966 Donald McLean Lamberton visited the United States as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University.
Source: academic positions
7.From 1973 to 1989, what position did Donald McLean Lamberton hold at the University of Queensland?
- A.Visiting lecturer
- B.Research assistant
- C.Chair in economicscorrect
- D.Dean of faculty
Donald McLean Lamberton held a chair in economics at the University of Queensland from 1973 to 1989.
Source: academic positions
8.In what year was The Economics of Language published?
- A.1971
- B.1974
- C.1983
- D.2002correct
The book The Economics of Language was published in 2002.
Source: books edited
9.Which journal did Donald McLean Lamberton found in 1983?
- A.The Economic Review
- B.Urban Studies
- C.Prometheuscorrect
- D.Information Economics
In 1983 Donald McLean Lamberton founded the journal Prometheus.
Source: journals edited
10.When was the festschrift honoring the work of Donald McLean Lamberton published?
- A.1999correct
- B.2015
- C.1992
- D.2005
A festschrift honoring Donald McLean Lamberton's work was published in 1999.
Source: writing about his work
11.What prestigious award did Donald McLean Lamberton receive in 2006?
- A.Officer of the Order of Australiacorrect
- B.Knight of the British Empire
- C.Australian Research Medal
- D.Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
In 2006 Donald McLean Lamberton was made an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Source: awards
12.On what date did Donald McLean Lamberton pass away?
- A.1 May 1942
- B.15 December 2015
- C.29 July 1927
- D.28 November 2014correct
Donald McLean Lamberton died on 28 November 2014.
Source: biographical introduction
13.In which city did Donald McLean Lamberton grow up?
- A.New South Walescorrect
- B.Queensland
- C.Pittsburgh
- D.Melbourne
Donald McLean Lamberton grew up in New South Wales.
Source: early life and career
14.At which institution did Donald McLean Lamberton work after 2005?
- A.University of Queensland
- B.University of New South Wales
- C.Queensland University of Technologycorrect
- D.Australian National University
In 2005 Donald McLean Lamberton moved to the Queensland University of Technology.
Source: academic positions
15.Who co-authored the book The Trouble with Technology with Donald McLean Lamberton?
- A.The Bank of New South Wales
- B.No one; he wrote it alone
- C.The University of Sydney faculty
- D.Ken Bouldingcorrect
Donald McLean Lamberton co-authored The Trouble with Technology with Ken Boulding in 1983.
Source: books edited
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