Robert Dorfman: From linear programming to environmental economics

This article examines the career of American economist Robert Dorfman (1916-2002), marked by pioneering work on linear programming in the 1950s, interdisciplinary research on water management in the 1960s, and contributions to environmental economics in the 1970s. It identifies his main contributions and highlights the connections between his various research themes. While Dorfman stands out for his didactic abilities and commitment to interdisciplinary, the article also underscores similarities between his career and those of other economists he had relations with, notably Kenneth Arrow. This suggests that the successive interest in linear programming in the 1950s and environmental economics in the 1970s extends beyond Dorfman alone.