Orris Clemens Herfindahl (June 15, 1918 in
Parshall, North Dakota - December 16, 1972 while traveling in Nepal[1]) was an economist who studied natural resources. However, he is mainly known as the inventor of a concentration index (the
Herfindahl index) which he proposed in his 1950 doctoral dissertation on the steel industry while at
Columbia University.[2][3][4] In fact a similar index (with the addition of a square root) was proposed earlier (in 1945) by
Albert O. Hirschman.[5] Thus, it is usually referred to as the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index.
Natural Resources Information for Economic Development[7]
Copper Costs and Prices: 1870-1957 - study of copper, sometimes seen as a
bellwether of global activity.[8][9][10][11]
References
^"Herfindahl, Orris Clemens". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2015-04-06. b. June 15, 1918, in Parshall, N.D.; d. Dec. 16, 1972; ... traveling in Nepal when he died
^Robert D. Hershey Jr. (1984-02-12).
"Statistical Formula Used". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-04-06. The index is named for Orris C. Herfindahl, who employed such analysis in a 1950 doctoral dissertation on the steel industry while at Columbia University,
^Buttonwood (2013-04-20).
"Like chess, only without the dice". The Economist. Retrieved 2015-04-06. Copper, often seen as a bellwether of global activity,