James M. Buchanan

Here is a bit more: Jim Buchanan was on the Search Committee that chose me to be Dean of Arts & Sciences at Virginia Tech in 1978. Over the years we interacted on a number of occasions, and I was always impressed by his intellectual curiosity and honesty and integrity. During 8 years as Dean, I met a number of Nobel Prize recipients. Jim Buchanan was one of only 2 who had not allowed that to make them behave like all-purpose gurus. He remained modest, and helpful to others --- very much...

I first met "Buchanan" in graduate school in 1975 or 1976 at VT where he taught graduate public finance. I was a visitor at GMU the year he won the Nobel Prize. His wisdom, friendship, and encouragement will be greatly missed. In his own way, he was always generous with his students, and I probably benefited more than most. I learned the craft at his footsteps, through his class, seminars, and in conversations. My first paper and first book were written with him in the lead--and his...

Jim was on the search committee when I interviewed at Tech and he impressed me immediately with his concern for academic substance. Though my work has been in science studies and not economics, Jim took a real interest and helped me learn about important things. As Dean of Arts & Sciences I had the chance to meet a number of Nobel Prize winners. Some had allowed their heads to swell and performed as all-purpose gurus, others remained just as before. Jim was one of those. The world was the...

I attended James Buchanan's seminar at the European Forum Alpbach many years ago. I remember in particular one question that I asked him: if he found it sufficient that the citizens of a society simply stuck to the rules. I expected a long elaboration of different arguments, a monologue, something like that.
Instead, he hesitated for a moment, and then replied: ‘No'.

James Buchanan's work has been an enormous inspiration for me.