David W. Slater: An Economist for All Seasons

Festschrift literally means “celebration-writing” in German. And that is what this volume is. It celebrates the remarkable career of David Slater, which in the best Queen’s University tradition of John Deutsch and Clifford Clark spanned academia and public service, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. It follows an old academic tradition that at an appropriate stage in the career of an eminent scholar a volume be put together in their honour containing the writings of colleagues. Usually, the writings must have something to do with the scholar’s life work. In David Slater’s case, this was an easy task as his research and interests have been omnivorous. Finding contributors was also easy as over David’s long career he had many colleagues, friends and students who jumped at the chance to honour him and to participate in this endeavour. The purpose of this introductory chapter is to give an overview of David Slater’s life and career.