Anthony Shorrocks
His pioneering work on wealth inequality reshaped how economists measure and understand the global distribution of resources.
Born 1946 (age 80)·British development economist·Birthday: October 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Anthony Shorrocks, a British economist born in 1946, carved a distinct path in development economics by focusing on the hard numbers of global disparity. Rather than dealing in abstract theories, he dedicated his career to constructing the empirical tools needed to map the contours of wealth and poverty. His most influential contribution came as the Director of the World Institute for Development Economics Research, where he spearheaded groundbreaking reports that quantified global household wealth for the first time. Shorrocks's methodological innovations, particularly the Shorrocks index, became standard for analyzing income mobility and inequality, moving the conversation from anecdote to data. His work provided the foundational statistics that continue to inform policies and debates on economic justice worldwide.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Anthony was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the Director of UNU-WIDER (World Institute for Development Economics Research), leading major global economic studies.
- Authored the influential 'Global Household Wealth Report' which provided the first comprehensive estimates of worldwide wealth distribution.
- Developed the Shorrocks index, a key methodological tool for measuring income mobility and inequality.
- Made significant contributions to the analysis of poverty, growth, and inequality through numerous academic papers and books.
Did You Know?
He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, a high honor in the field of economics.
His research has been cited in major international policy documents, including those from the World Bank and the United Nations.
He has held academic positions at the University of Essex and has been a visiting scholar at several prestigious institutions globally.
“Inequality is a fact we can measure, and therefore change.”
