James M. Buchanan Jr.
James M. Buchanan Jr. received the 1986 prize in Economic Sciences. This profile brings together the official award record and attributed background on the economist’s work and career.
Personal and professional profile
- Name
- James M. Buchanan Jr. [1]
- Full name
- James M. Buchanan Jr. [2]
- Birth date
- 1919-10-03 [2]
- Birthplace
- Murfreesboro, TN, USA [2]
- Education
- University of Chicago; University of Tennessee [3]
- Fields / occupation
- economist; university teacher [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 1986 [2]
- Research recognized
- for his development of the contractual and constitutional bases for the theory of economic and political decision-making [2]
- Prize share
- 1 [2]
- Affiliation at the award
- Center for Study of Public Choice [2]
- Death date
- 2013-01-09 [2]
- Institutions in career record
- University of Virginia; University of Florida; George Mason University; Florida State University [3]
Research, education and career background
James McGill Buchanan Jr. ( bew-KAN-ən; October 3, 1919 – January 9, 2013) was an American economist known for his work on public choice theory originally outlined in his most famous work, The Calculus of Consent, co-authored with Gordon Tullock in 1962. He continued to develop the theory, eventually receiving the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1986. [4]
Buchanan's work initiated research on how politicians' and bureaucrats' self-interest, utility maximization, and other non-wealth-maximizing considerations affect their decision-making. He was a member of the Board of Advisors of The Independent Institute as well as of the Institute of Economic Affairs, a member of the Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) and MPS president from 1984 to 1986, a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Cato Institute, and professor at George Mason University. [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — James M. Buchanan, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official facts are cited separately.
Award and academic affiliation
The official Nobel record dates the Economic Sciences award to 1986 and lists Center for Study of Public Choice as the affiliation at the time. [2]
An affiliation attached to an award describes that point in the person’s career; it does not establish a current appointment. [2]
Education and career timeline
Source-supported connections
Frequently asked questions
When did James M. Buchanan Jr. receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 1986. [2]
Which institution was James M. Buchanan Jr. affiliated with at the time of the Economic Sciences award?
Center for Study of Public Choice. This is the award-time affiliation. [2]
James M. Buchanan Jr. connection map
Select a node to inspect the relationship and source.
Links retain their source-specific meaning. Award-time affiliations and links to related reading are not claims about current appointments or economic causation.
Sources and review dates
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Wikidata background facts (CC0) ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — James M. Buchanan (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.