Condolence Book

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Condolence Book
Professor J Peter Neary

University College Dublin and University of Oxford 

 

Peter Neary

Professor J. Peter Neary

It is with great sadness that his colleagues at the Department of Economics in Oxford and UCD School of Economics received the news of the death of Professor J. Peter Neary on 16th June, 2021.

Peter was Professor of Political Economy at University College Dublin from 1980 until 2006. From 2006 until his retirement in September 2020 he held a Statutory Chair in Economics at Oxford University and a Professorial Fellowship at Merton College.

He was an applied theorist with particular interests in international trade whose research contributions earned him an international reputation in his field and beyond. He was the greatest Irish economist since Gorman, or perhaps even Edgeworth, both of whom preceded him in Oxford.  He received numerous honours and awards and his commitment to the economics profession included his service as President of the Irish Economic Association (1990-92), President of the European Economic Association (2002) and as President of the Royal Economic Society (2017-18).

Peter will be greatly missed by his friends, colleagues, and students past and present, in Dublin, Oxford and beyond. 

 

You are welcome to submit a message of condolence, and to share your memories of Peter.
Messages will be reviewed before publishing.
 

 

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Our profession will commemorate and remember Peter Neary as an exceptional applied theorist and pioneer in international trade. I will always remember him for his kindness, exuberance, and unwavering encouragement. Rest in peace, Peter.
Arshia Hashemi, Advisee (MPhil Economics, Oxford, 2019), Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, The University of Chicago.

An ordinary, no frills humble man. An academic giant. RIP.
Breff Carpenter, Retired.

With very best wishes to Peter’s family and friend. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. 
Professor Stephen Redding, Economics Department, Princeton University.

To Peter Neary’s family, I sadly learn that Peter has not amongst us anymore. I would like to express my sincere codolences to his wife and family. Peter has been an academic person who was outstandingly warm, welcoming and supportive. He did a lot to the community of younger and elder researchers. As all of us, I will sincerely regret him. Best regards.
Profressor Pierre M Picard, Department of Economics and Management Faculty of Law, Economics & Finance, University of Luxembourg.

My condolences to Peter's family, friends and colleagues. The economics profession lost one of its kindest and most generous members.
Prof. Dr. Frederic Vermeulen, Department of Economics, University of Leuven.

Peter always the nicest colleague with the best sense of humour, but also the sharpest mind around. I will miss you for all our cups of tea and talks and your never-ending commitments to help out young scholars. Your week long PhD course in the Netherlands during the mid 1980s was a classic in this sense. We will miss your energy, wisdom, wit and kindness.
Rick van der Ploeg, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

For many years I attended the trade seminars and workshops at Oxford with Peter Neary. I don’t remember any one of these events in which Peter did not impress those present with his fast and deep understanding of the presented material, his wit, his insightful comments and his unmatched knowledge of the academic literature on trade. Many in the department learned a lot just from attending seminars with him. Peter was always easy to find and talk to, and on many occasions, Peter helped me and others with problems arising in research. I also remember his excellent and cheerful company at social events related to our research group. He will be fondly remembered by economists at Oxford and his influence on our work will remain. May he rest in peace. 
Ferdinand Rauch, Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

I was very shocked and saddened to hear about the passing away of Professor Peter Neary. Peter had visited our department twice in June 2013 and June 2019, and helped our department a lot. All of us are saddened on his sad demise.
Zhiwei Peng, Department of International Economics and Trade,Nankai University, P.R. China.

I worked with Peter for many years on the macroeconomics of resource booms, a cooperation that produced several papers and a jointly edited book. And his extraordinary, elegant work on virtual prices, unifying the treatment of tariffs and quota, is still helping me in modeling disequilibrium situations.  Peter was an elegant incisive theorist. I still treasure his friendship, hospitality and sense of humor. His untimely death is a huge loss to his family, his friends and the profession.
Prof. Sweder van Wijnbergen, Economics Department, University of Amsterdam.

Peter's academic merits are beyond doubt, but he was unique in matching those in his kindness. Peter treated everybody equal and always looked for (and found) the best in people. Incredibly encouraging and enthusiastic about new research ideas, he must have produced way more papers than he is nominally the author of. I consider myself incredibly lucky that I had the honour and pleasure of crossing Peter's path and will miss him dearly going forward. My sincere condolences to Peter's family in these difficult times -- I hope they know how well-loved Peter was by so many in our profession. 
Tim Willems, IMF (ex-postdoc at Oxford).

A scholar and a gentleman. Words often used, never more apt than in Peter's case. He provided great encouragement to young economists, not only in his teaching but in other contexts. His guess lectures on the Dutch disease paper to TCD international economics class were a masterly example of how to bring cutting edge research to the classroom. He will be greatly missed. 
Tim Callan, ESRI and Geary Institute.

Peter was a brilliant scholar, a lovely man, and a colleague and teacher of rare generosity and wit. He graced our world with his presence among us, and it will never be the same without him. Our thoughts are with his family.
Vincent Crawford, Drummond Professor of Political Economy Emeritus, Department of Economics and All Souls College, University of Oxford.

I only had small interactions with Peter, as a student in his lectures and a PhD student sat close to his office. Yes, Peter did incredible work - but for me he will be remembered as an incredibly witty, entertaining and enthusiastic leturer. Such a lust for life that I haven't seen in an academic before or since. 
Mr Luke Milsom, PhD student at Oxford.

My deepest sympathy to Peters family. He was a great colleague to us during his time in UCD and will be missed.
Frank Walsh, Associate professor, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

Condolences to family and friends on the passing of Peter. We are extremely thankful for Peter's contribution to Economics and UCD. It will be a lasting legacy.  Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.  
Professor Patrick Paul Walsh, University College Dublin.

I cannot think of anyone who had such a positive influence on my professional career as Peter Neary. He lectured me as an undergrad and postgrad at UCD and also supervised my PhD. I also followed his path of undergraduate study at UCD, research assistant at the ESRI and postgraduate study at Nuffield College, before becoming his colleague at UCD in 1991. So our professional lives overlapped hugely. He was a great supervisor and colleague, truly a giant in Irish (and world) economics and he will be sorely missed. My sincere sympathies to his family.
David Madden, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

Peter was a good one.
Professor Dr Richard S.J. Tol MAE, University of Sussex, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Only a few have the ability and capacity to contribute to research and to the academic world the way Peter did. He was a remarkable person who will be deeply missed.
Dr Sarah Parlane, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

A great loss for all of us. One of the greatest economists I had the honor to personally meet. Peter was kind and inspiring. I met him just few times, but that was enough to teach me much about economics with his insightful lectures. A true example of personal attitude, respect and passion.
Enrico Marvasi, Assistant Professor, Università degli studi di Firenze.

I only overlapped with Peter for a short period at Oxford and had only a handful of interactions with him, but he seemed like a genuinely lovely man and was very welcoming to the new and junior members of the econ department. He will be hugely missed. 
Rossa O'Keeffe-O'Donovan, Postdoc, Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

My sincere condolences to Peter's family. Peter was an inspiring teacher when I was at UCD and was instrumental in my pursuing further studies at Oxford & subsequently returning to UCD as faculty. A phenomenally productive scholar in diverse areas, his passing is a huge loss to Economics. 
Dr Kevin Denny, School of Economics, UCD.

Ivan and I met Peter when we were PhD students. I was presenting a joint paper on immigration in a conference in Istanbul and Peter was in the audience. You can imagine how honoured we were when he gave comments to the paper. He was very encouraging to young economists and his enthusiasm for economics and his intellectual curiosity was catching. He is the reason why Ireland was on our job search map. A great researcher, a super teacher. Peter was and always will be a role model. My condolences to the family, friends and students.
Tuvana Pastine, Head of Department, Economics Department  Maynooth University.

I was very sad to hear the news about Peter. He was a charming colleague as well as a superb economist. My thoughts are with his family.
Alan Beggs, Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

I was pretty much fresh out of grad school when I first met Peter, although at the time I didn’t make the connection who he was. I’d been invited to give a seminar at UCD, and throughout my presentation there was this friendly yet obviously senior professor taking very careful notes and asking detailed and intelligent questions. I repeat, a professor taking notes at my seminar! It had never happened before (and to be honest, has very rarely happened since), but by the end of the seminar I was walking on air that a senior member of our profession was listening to me intently and treating me like an equal. With hindsight it all makes sense and was completely in Peter’s character, and getting to know him as a colleague at Oxford has been a real pleasure. He was a bright light in even the dullest administrative meeting. I already miss him, and will continue to do so in the years to come. 
Professor Martin Ellison, Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

My sincere condolences to Peter's family. Like many others contributing here, to me Peter was an inspirational teacher and one of the reasons I went on to be an academic. He was a master of inventing novel, succinct and clear ways to illustrate complex ideas as well as excellent company over a meal or drink.  Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Cillian Ryan, Professor & Pro-Vice Chancellor, Nottingham Trent University. 

Peter gave of his time generously to the International Economics and Finance Society, a global academic society for the study of international trade and finance. He served two years as President-Elect (1997, 1998) and served three years as President (1999-2001). Moreover, he was a simply remarkable individual, beyond his impactful theoretical contributions. Peter had a wonderful sense of humor, possessed a truly engaging demeanor, and was an extraordinarily astute contributor during academic seminars. Above all, Peter epitomized the notion of “grace.” Peter was a leader in our field for so many reasons: insightfulness, hardworking, conscientious, and gracious to all those around him. He will be deeply missed.  
Jeffrey Bergstrand, Professor and Former IEFS President, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.

I knew Peter for many decades. First as my inspiring PhD supervisor at UCD and then as a co-author of many years. Peter was a wonderful person to be around and absolute joy to work with. He had an enthusiasm that energised everyone he worked with and discussed economics with. Peter’s dazzling seminar presentations were never to be missed.  His beautifully written papers are models of clarity and elegance. They are really something to aspire to.  My thoughts and sympathies are with Mairéad and Peter’s children at this very sad time.  
Dermot Leahy, Economics Department, National University of Ireland Maynooth.

I found Peter to be incredibly warm and supportive as well as fiercely intelligent and insightful. This sad news is a tragic loss. My prayers and thoughts are with Peter's family.
Professor John Thanassoulis, University of Warwick.

A very sad loss. My condolences to Peter's family, friends and colleagues. Even those of us who didn't know him quite so well will miss his brilliance and conviviality. A lovely man. 
Diane Coyle, Bennett Institute, University of Cambridge.

Peter was not just an accomplished academic economist who wrote important papers, but a person who made our subject more humane through his actions. Spending time with him was always rewarding.  My sincerest condolences to his loved ones.    
Tim Besley, Professor of Economics and Political Science, LSE.

The unexpected and shocking death of Peter Neary caught us all yesterday in dismay and left us in deep sorrow. It is such a devastating loss for his family, Oxford, CERGE-EI, and the whole universe of  international trade and other academic economists. Peter was such a likeable and humble person with a neat sense for humor, always smiling and laughing  and ready to chat on any topic. I was very lucky to get acquainted with him in late 90’s and have him as the key member in my EU ACE Phare grant that turned out to be very successful project mostly due to the Peter’s contribution in it.  He was incredibly versatile scholar within the field of international trade (and boarder) covering and significantly contributing to all of its corners. Starting with the already classic concept of “Dutch disease” whose importance is reaching far beyond the benches of academia, to the concepts of industrial and strategic trade policy,  and then incorporating oligopoly into the general equilibrium framework, study of multiproduct firms in international trade, modeling firms’ heterogeneity and its implications for distribution of sales and markups,  tackling the important issues of  the political economy of international trade and many more topics. Peter’s  meticulous  approach to any issue was fascinating indeed. He would always clearly describe conditions and assumptions of the model that he studies, inform us what his model can and cannot achieve and was always able to put it in a broader, more general context. Moreover, he would often point to the hidden limitations of the existing models and approaches that nobody detected before him and, at the same time, offering elegant solutions, generalizations and extensions of these models.  Our thoughts are with Peter’s family these days. He would be terribly missed. I can only say at the end, that it was a big honor and privilege for me that I knew Peter and spent some precious time in his company and was able to cooperate with him and learn from him all these years.   
Kresimir Zigic, Associate Professor, CERGE-EI.

Peter was a wonderful humane presence in the Merton community. He was always a delight to speak to at dinners and college events, and his kindness to younger scholars (including those in disciplines a long way from Economics) was wonderful to see. We will miss him very much.
Rhiannon Ash, Professor of Roman Historiography, Merton College, Oxford University.

As a CEPR member of the International Trade Group, I had the opportunity to encounter Peter on various CEPR workshops and in various countries around the world.
Peter, to me, is an academic “pur sang” by which I mean that an academic career was like a calling to him, clearly evidenced by the great joy and motivation with which he presented his papers and pursued his research. While international trade was his field, his insights and interest were very broad which made him an excellent dinner table partner which always guaranteed a wonderful evening filled with joy and laughter. I will greatly miss his presence in future events which is an under-statement. When I was inaugurated as a chaired professor at UCLouvain, Peter was one of the keynote speakers on that occasion for which to date I am still very grateful. The thought that I can never again invite him to sit in a PhD jury and have my students benefit from his insights is a great loss. His many contributions will long survive him, I have no doubt. And this is probably the biggest honor we can render the Professor Peter Neary who passed away too early. 
Hylke Vandenbussche, Professor International Economics, Department of Economics, University of Leuven.

Whilst Peter arrived in Oxford shortly after I had retired as the University's Registrar, I had the pleasure of meeting him at the odd Merton dinner and at the College's Remuneration Committee on which he served for a time. I found him a charming and congenial colleague. RIP,Peter.
David Holmes,Honorary Fellow of Merton College and former University Registrar.

Peter was a great inspiration to me from my earliest days as a graduate student. My earliest memory was being given his when I asked the librarian at Nuffield for an example of a thesis ... talk about intimidating! I always enjoyed speaking to him and will miss him a lot; a great man!
Andrew Rose Berkeley-Haas, Emeritus Professor and NUS-Business Dean, NUS Business School.

Peter was one of a kind. He was gracious and generous, especially to young researchers. He will be sorely missed.
Professor Dennis Novy, University of Warwick.

Peter was perhaps the most brilliant economist and most erudite person I have had the privilege of knowing. An intellectual giant. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
Marius Brülhart, Department of Economics, University of Lausanne.

My first conferences as a young PhD at the end of the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s were the CEPR ERWIT trade workshops (Bergen, Copenhagen, Bern, etc.). The highlight was always when Peter would stand up during dinner to tell stories and jokes. What a warm welcome to the world of academia. RIP, Peter.   
Klaus Desmet, Department of Economics, Southern Methodist University.

I was truly saddened to hear of Peter's passing. Peter was a wonderful academic and colleague, and he will be greatly missed. My deepest sympathies to Peter's family at this very sad and difficult time. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Ciara Whelan, School of Economics, UCD.

Dear Peter, It only seemed yesterday that we were chatting over lunch at Merton before COVID. I am grateful to all the kindness and friendly smiles you have shown me over the years and beautiful problems in mathematics that came out of your research, with which you've challenged me. RIP, old friend. Yang.
Professor Yang-Hui He, LIMS, Royal Institution of GB & Merton College Oxford.

My deepest condolences to Peter's family. He was a wonderful man, generous and kind to colleagues and a superb teacher. He was an example to us all in the profession and we shall not forget him. I hope that his family can find some solace in the huge respect we all had for him. May his memory be a blessing. 
Professor Jonathan Haskel, Imperial College and Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England.

Two things came to my mind when very sadly, I heared about the passing away of Peter Neary. First, this unforgettable experience I had to organize with him the European Economic Association Meeting when he was the President of that Association. Second, the memories of these wonderful CEPR ERWIT meetings where we could enjoy Peter’s fantastic intellectual presence and delightful sense of humor at the conference’s dinner speeches. With brilliance, elegance and kindness, Peter was a giant in international trade theory. Foremost, he was a remarkable person who will be deeply missed. My condolences to the family and friends.
Thierry Verdier, Professor of Economics, Paris School of Economics.

My sincere condolences to Peter's relatives, colleagues and friends. Peter was one of the giants in the international trade field, and he profoundly influenced my work. Perhaps more importantly, he served as an informal mentor to many of us when we were starting our careers. He always treated everyone the same way, regardless of their status or age. I will sorely miss him.
Pol Antras, Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

Peter was an inspiration as a trade economist and as an economist in general, but above all, as a man. He had a brilliant mind and was a wonderful kind person, whom I considered a friend. My deepest condolences to his family.
Professor L Alan Winters, Department of Economics, University of Sussex.

Peter Neary, Stockholm 2002/3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Neary was a great economist and a great human being. He was a role model for all. He'll be deeply missed.
Jonathan Dingel, University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

It was always a pleasure to talk to Peter when we bumped into each other - someone who always had time for a smile and a friendly and engaged chat. Peter, you will be missed.
Professor Peter Holland, Merton College, Oxford.

A true gentleman - kind, inclusive, and ready to challenge the established view with what he thought was important. The ERWIT toasts were indeed legendary with the older person being the one delivering it. When Peter became the oldest in the group he delivered a witty, fun, and very welcoming toast to all the new people in the group. When later on ETSG was formed, Peter was one of first that saw the importance of having such a conference and supported the initiative in many ways, not least by coming to every single of them. I was always impressed how much he could convey in a 20 minute presentation, leaving the audience with so much to think about. Peter offered his comments to everybody and had no a priori on whether you worked on general equilibrium trade theory, strategic trade policy, monopolistic trade theory, or indeed empirical trade - he had worked on all and he wanted to engage.   
Prof Pascalis Raimondos, Head of School Economics and Finance, QUT Business School.

Peter Neary was an inspiring economist, both in terms of his work and his character. He will be sorely missed.
Ashley Pople, DPhil in Economics Student, University of Oxford.

Peter was the sort of person most of us can only aspire to be: an intellectual giant, but humble, with an infectious enthusiasm for economics, and a charming and friendly human being. He will really be missed. Vale Peter. 
Prof. Martin Richardson, Research School of Economics, The Australian National University.

Dear Peter, you have been the rare combination of an absolutely amazing researcher, pushing the frontier in so many uncountable directions, and at the same time witty, open, and very supportive towards students and juniors. Any conference or talk in which you participated turned a bit into magic from your interactions. You will be dearly missed. My condolences to family and friends...
Glenn Magerman, Asst. Prof., ECARES, ULB.

Condolences to family and friends. I have met Peter many years ago. It was always a pleasure to meet Peter and learn from him in many ways.
Pedro Pita Barros, Professor of Economics, Nova School of Business and Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Peter was the kindest persons in our profession and I learned so much from him. I am deeply sorry that he passed away much too early. 
Jens Suedekum, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf.

Peter was one of the kindest trade economists that I get to know well. I have used his models in several of my own papers. The last time we met in late 2019, I joked with him about the "Neary bucket", and he said, you are almost the only one who remember it after so many years. I had a plan to invite him to Kobe, and he replied that Easter vacation would be a good time. However, Covid-19 made it impossible, forever... May Peter rest in peace. 
Lex Zhao, Professor, Research Institute for Economics & Business, Kobe University.

Please accept heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Peter Neary, a brilliant economist and a wonderful human being.
Sisira Jayasuriya, Professor, Department of Economics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

My condolences to Peter's family on his passing. He was truly the greatest Irish economist of his generation, and one of the finest human beings I have ever worked with. His arrival at UCD in 1980 brought a new level of excitement to the study of economics, and those of us who were undergraduates there at the time had our eyes opened to all sorts of new possibilities. His legacy, in Ireland, Europe and the world is enormous.
Mark Wynne, Vice President & Associate Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

I am sad and shocked to hear about Peter's passing. His presence at conferences will be greatly missed by the profession. Listening to his presentations was always a treat not to be missed - he could explain difficult material in an approachable way like nobody else, his language and witty remarks were beautiful to listen to. Also remarkable was how he always showed a natural and genuine interest and kindness towards the juniors in the field. My deepest condolences to his family.
Claudia Steinwender, MIT Sloan.

I've had wonderful conversations with Peter over the years, walking around Paris, Oxford, and other places, in addition to our academic interactions.  He was a joy to be with and a gracious host.
Alan Deardorff, Professor, Department of Economics and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan.

Peter and Alan Deardoff at dinner - ERWIT conference in Bern, Switzerland - June 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my key tasks when Head of Economics was to entice world renowned economists to Oxford,  and I was thrilled when Peter agreed to come. Although our research interests did not overlap much, our emphases on scholarship did---as did our reciprocal `college events' dining. Peter contributed hugely to the profession from his many roles, as well as to Oxford economics, and these will be a lasting legacy.
Sir David F Hendry, Nuffield College, Oxford.

In 2019, I invited Peter to Academia Sinica (Taiwan) and coordinated his visit to Singapore. It was lots of fun talking to him, including and beyond economics. His humor, warmth, and willingness to give detailed and constructive comments to young scholars are beyond exemplary. One of the nicest economists I've ever met. He will be dearly missed around the globe. My sincere condolences to his family.
Wen-Tai Hsu, Associate Professor of Economics, School of Economics, Singapore Management University.

Peter has influenced so many of us through not only his work but his kindness and generosity. He was someone who would stop to greet and talk to anyone he knew at a conference hallway. He was the type of person who would always carry on a warm and fun conversation and give the most insightful and welcoming speech. He will be deeply missed.
Maggie Chen, Professor of Economics and International Affairs, George Washington University.

So sorry to learn of Peter's passing. His enthusiasm and humour always carried the day.
Gillian Coates, retired.

Peter will be greatly missed. As my a MSc advisor and referee, he want way above and beyond the call of duty in support of my career and research.
Vincent Hogan, School of Economics, UCD.

Humble. Generous. Educator. Scholar. Brilliant. Peter was all of this and so much more. Through his scholarship as well as formal and informal mentoring, he inspired countless others to join the conversation. Eternal rest, grant unto him. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
Professor Steven Matusz, Michigan State University.

Everyone in the UCD School of Economics was deeply saddened to hear about Peter's passing. He was one of the most inspiring academics I've ever met, and he had a profound impact on our school, economics in Ireland, and the entire profession. My thoughts are with his family. RIP Peter.
Benjamin Elsner, UCD School of Economics.

My sincere condolences to Peter's immediate family. They have lost a generous and affectionate soul. Peter was a frequent presence in London during my formative years. He would always understand quickly and thoroughly even when our explanations were terribly unclear. He always add a kind word for everyone presenting. He was also a great dinner companion, witty and always elegant. We have lost a great friend and the profession an exemplary economist. 
Gilles Duranton, University of Pennsylvania. 

Peter was a scholar of the highest calibre and one of the leading experts on international trade. I first met him in 1982 in Dublin at a Econometric Society meeting.  Since then I have met him on numerous occasions, particularly when I was at the University of Essex. He was one of the very few in the profession who was always very constructive while commenting on works by the younger members of the profession. I was unaware of his illness and the news of his passing away came as a great shock to me. My heartfelt condolences to his familiy.
Sajal Lahiri, Vandeveer Professor of Economics, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

As many of us did, I read Peter's articles as an economics student. He was a giant in the profession. I first met Peter in 1995 at the CEPR (ERWIT) conference in Thessaloniki, Greece, which I was attending with my colleague and friend Emmanuel Petrakis. I was a recent PhD who had ventured into International Trade. I clearly remember that meeting. We went for a swim upon arrival and ran into Peter, who was already enjoying the Aegean sea. Peter was committed to the profession, he was interested in everyone's work, commented on it, and always had suggestions. I invited him to Carlos III for a talk a few times. We were in touch since then. A few years ago he had accepted to be on the advisory board of the Economics department at Middlesex University. It was always great to meet Peter. He was an amazing scholar and a great human being. His life impacted many across the world. He will live forever through his work. He will be sorely missed!
Praveen Kujal, Professor of Economics, Middlesex University.

Peter was an inspirational economist and a wonderful person. He will be greatly missed. My condolences to all his friends and family.
Thomas Sampson, Department of Economics, London School of Economics.

Peter is a strong contender for the broadest, the smartest and the sharpest trade economist I have met. But I will settle with the nicest. The type of person that gives you a warm feeling just for being there. The world is sadder and less fun without him.
Emanuel Ornelas, Professor, Sao Paulo School of Economics - FGV.

I first met Peter at a summer school in Florence in 1992. I still have the notes from his lectures. These, as every single one of his later presentations I attended, were masterclasses. It was always a treat to witness Peter build up one of his elegant models in his typical, joyfully enthusiastic way. He held his audience in awe; even his witty remarks were clever, always perfectly timed (one of my own students once said “he really has the x-factor!”). But more than that, I appreciated Peter for his generosity and kindness towards everyone: his comments and suggestions given with the intention to be helpful, his genuine encouragement to improve the work. His absence will be sadly felt. My heartfelt condolences to Mairead, his children and all his family.
Gerda Dewit, Lecturer, Economics Department, Maynooth University.

I was very sorry to hear about the passing of Peter Neary. He was a gentleman and a scholar. Witty and brilliant. I will remember fondly our many dinners together.
David Weinstein, Carl S. Shoup Professor, Department of Economics, Columbia University.

Peter was a wonderfully warm and generous person, always delighted to listen and to engage, as well as a brilliant economist. My heartfelt condolences to his family on his untimely passing. 
Will Martin, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute.

Peter is remembered as very kind, attentive and sharp-witted. He was a great scholar and played a decisive role in setting up the Journal of the European Economic Association during this tenure as president. 
Harry Flam, Professor Emeritus of International Economics, Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm University.

A scholar and a gentleman. I will never forget his generous spirit from which I benefited greatly. Farewell. 
Assoc. Prof. Christis Tombazos, Department of Economics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

His enthusiasm and charm, combined with modesty and curiosity of people, will forever remain in the memory of those who met him. The ETSG without You,  Peter will never be the same... 
Eliza Przezdziecka, Associate Professor, Institute of International Economics, SGH Warsaw School of Economics.

The passing of Peter Neary is very sad news, indeed. Not only was Peter a great and accomplished economist (and not just in international trade), but he was a very friendly colleague to have known for a very long time. I first met Peter in 1980 at a Warwick University summer workshop in International Economics to which we were both invited by Avinash Dixit. On that occasion he made a lasting  impression on me and others of being a talented economist and an  interesting and engaging person, with very high professional potential – an impression certainly borne out by his stellar career. Since then I  have benefited a lot over the years from conversations at conferences  and email communications about trade issues and our common research  interests and projects. His comments were always insightful and helpful - in short, a great scholar and international professional colleague. Peter has gone far too soon. Rest in Peace, Peter.
Professor Alan Woodland, School of Economics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Peter Neary (third from right) and Alan Woodland (first left) - Australasian Trade Workshop held in Dunedin in New Zealand in 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter was the kindest, most civilised man and an absolute joy to sit next to at lunch or dinner.
Prof Judy Armitage, Merton College.

Dear Peter, You have been an outstanding scholar who has provided so many important contributions. We will keep reading your work for many years to come. On a personal point of view, you have also been an outstanding person with all of your energy, optimism, understanding, compassion and care. I only have good memories about our encounters and conversations and I do hope to be able to see you again someday, somehow. If we manage to, I am sure you will still insist to refund me of the taxi I once paid for you and I am sure I will still refuse and offer to have a beer together instead. I will miss you. Gio.   
Prof. Giordano Mion, University of Sussex.  

Our profession and the field of trade lost a brilliant scientist and a wonderful colleague. It is an untimely loss for I have no doubt Peter had many more insightful papers to write, many more students to mentor and many more good jokes to tell. He will be missed.
Kerem Cosar, Professor of Economics, University of Virginia.

I still remember how Peter Neary helped me with his advice and encouragement when I was a young graduate student back in the 1990s - like he did so many times later on. His kindness will sorely be missed.  
Prof. Dr. Oliver Lorz, RWTH Aachen University.

Peter was a true scholar, a mentor, and a kind human being. He was always excited about his work, and interested about the work of others. He was a great international trade theorist, whose work inspired our generation and beyond. He will be remembered for a long time. We are sad to lose him. May you rest in peace, Peter. 
Professor Edwin L.-C. Lai, Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 

Peter Neary in Hong Kong on 18 April 2018 (shared by Edwin L.-C. LAI)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always called Peter my academic father. I have learned a lot from him since my PhD supervision, and he has left so much behind for everyone. He will be immensely missed, both as an incredibly kind person and friend, and because of the joy he created in academia (thinking of his ETSG sessions and keynote speeches elsewhere). It is a truly sad moment in the history of our profession. My sincere and deepest condolences to all of us. He will not be forgotten and his legacy will live on beyond us. 
Professor Alireza Naghavi, Department of Economics, University of Bologna.

You can shed tears that he is gone; Or you can smile because he has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back; Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him; Or you can be full of the love that you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday; Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember him and only that he is gone; Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back; Or you can do what he would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
Lucy Liu, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, UCD.

Deepest Condolences to Peter's family.
Tito Bastianello, Merton College, Oxford

 

Peter Neary was a source of inspiration for young trade economists, and he will remain inspiring researchers around the globe through his work. Peter used to attend ETSG, which is for many young trade economists in Europe the first conference they attend. It was also my first conference, and it was a great honor to have the chance to interact with Peter, so generous and kind to young scholars. His enthusiasm, energy and generosity were impressive. I thank him for contributing to my research and for all he has done for the profession. We will miss you, Peter.
Lisandra Flach, Professor of Economics, LMU Munich.

 

I had the chance to meet Peter at Oxford during my postdoc there. I remember him giving me comments on my papers over tea, being so sharp and caring in a genuine way. I also remember his keynote at the ETSG in Florence, on what a good trade agreement should be. It had a lasting impression on many of us.
Pierre-Louis Vézina, Senior Lecturer, King's College London.

A big loss. Peter was a constant presence in the Department, always willing to help new colleagues and young scholars. Always available to discuss research or just for a chat over a coffee for me, tea for him. Also a man of great culture, I remember his curiosity about the history of the city when he visited Pavia. An example for all of us.
Guido Ascari, Department of Economics, University of Oxford and Pavia.