James Robert Crotty

James Robert Crotty

Northampton, MA - James Robert Crotty, an internationally recognized economist whose unbridled curiosity, razor-sharp wit, and innate understanding of class conflict defined his scholarly career, died January 9 at a hospital in Newton while being treated for complications related to Parkinson's Disease.

Crotty, 84, of Hadley, was a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he served for 36 years in various positions in the economics department, including as its chairman. From 2007 until 2011 he was the first Helen Sheridan Memorial Scholar, presenting that program's debut lecture titled "The Battle over Austerity: What Caused the Financial Crisis and Who Should Pay?" He also was a senior research scholar at the Political Economy Research Institute, an independent unit of the university aimed at focusing the public economics debate on human and ecological welfare.

UMass in 2017 honored Jim's contributions, as well of those of his wife, Pamela Crotty, with the construction of its first net zero greenhouse emissions building and new home of the economics department, naming it Crotty Hall.

Born in the Bronx, New York, Jim excelled on his high school basketball team and worked as a "copy boy " at the New York Times before studying at Fordham University, where he took a bachelor's of science degree in 1961. He attended the U.S. Marine Corps officer training school but declined an offered commission to enroll at Carnegie-Mellon University, where he was awarded a master's degree in economics in 1963. He was employed as an economist and operations research analyst at Mellon National Bank and Trust Company in Pittsburgh and later as an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo before being also awarded a doctorate in economics from Carnegie-Mellon in 1973.

Jim, or Jimmy, or Bobby, or even Harry, as his family and closest friends called him, greatly enjoyed teaching and living in Buffalo, where he also cherished playing on a traveling rugby team. But as that city's police "red squad" focused on his involvement in the movement against the Vietnam War, he felt forced to leave. He accepted a job as an assistant professor at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., where he taught economics from 1972 to 1974. While there, Jim and Pam continued to participate in the activities of the Union for Radical Political Economics, an organization of economists and activists founded in 1968 to promote the application of radical political economic analysis to social problems.

A "macroeconomist' who sought to integrate the analytic strengths of Marxian and Keynesian traditions, Jim's most recent book, Keynes Against Capitalism (Routledge, 2019) was hailed as "a marvel of economic narrative" focused on "the neglected fact that Keynes's Liberal Socialism was far more radical than modern memory would have us think."

Jim's resume lists 73 publications and his writings appeared in such diverse journals as the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Cambridge Journal of Economics, the Review of Radical Political Economics, Monthly Review, and the Journal of Post Keynesian Economics. His selected papers were collected in Capitalism, Macroeconomics and Reality (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017).

In recent years Jim focused on investment theory, the global economy, financial markets and the financial crisis, and the political economy of South Korea. He was invited to teach there and in Japan, and said he was "treated like royalty" and dined exceptionally well in both countries.

Jim's former students joke that he was famous for writing comments on their papers that were longer than the papers themselves. "He would give us critiques and comments with a red pen, crossing things over we wrote, adding angry faces or 'smileys' even before they were a thing," said one, now a professor in Istanbul. "But he probably was the most liked and loved professor at UMass. His writing, teaching, and mentorship transformed many generations of students. His compassion and wit were unique. Especially for people like me who come from working class families, his experience and empathy were particularly important."

Similarly, they describe his "Macro II" course as remarkable. "He filled in a huge lane for students of all stripes in graduate school," said another, currently a professor at the University of Southern Maine. "We had no other serious, consistent resource to understand the huge and pertinent field, and we were so lucky to have an inspirational, sophisticated, and always funny mentor who equipped us to be well-read and well-schooled in the big issues."

But Jim's colleagues and students also note that despite his intense academic discipline, he was kind, charitable, and great fun. At his homes in Lewisburg and Amherst, for example, he would brandish his guitar and lead impromptu sing-alongs of favorites from the Industrial Workers of the World songbook. Or perhaps it would be an Irish folk tune, or something by Dion & The Belmonts, The Platters, or Ry Cooder. He also often played golf with friends, who fondly recall his quips after shots rather than the shots themselves.

Several of the former graduate students from other countries, now accomplished economists themselves, also expressed profound gratitude to Jim and Pam, saying the Crottys were extraordinarily hospitable, frequently inviting them for home-cooked meals and helping them acclimate to the U.S.

Jim leaves Pamela (McDermott) Crotty, his high school sweetheart and wife of 61 years, and their four children and eight grandchildren: Jamie Calzini and her partner, Ken, of Vermont and her sons Miles and Luke; Thomas Crotty and his wife Tricia of South Hadley and their sons Matthew, Thomas, and Patrick; Alexis Dubiel and her husband Jeff, of California, and their sons Tyler and Connor and daughter Caroline; and Erin Crotty of Hadley.

The Crotty children say they are "forever grateful to our sister Erin, who lovingly took over our father's care and allowed him to remain at home until his last week."

A celebration of Jim's life will be held in the spring.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (donations@michaeljfox.org).