Better to Be Rough and Relevant than to Be Precise and Irrelevant : Reddaway's Legacy to Economics

Professor W. B. Reddaway (known to friends and colleagues as Brian Reddaway) was an exceptional economist who had a huge influence on how economics in Cambridge has been taught and researched. He held leadership positions in the Faculty of Economics and Politics at Cambridge for 25 years, between 1955 and 1980. The main purpose of this paper is to explain Reddaway's method and his distinct approach to economics. It also briefly reviews his life and times. The words in the title summarise his philosophy of research, as will become clear in the paragraphs which follow