Economist Kenneth Galbraith dies at 97

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2006

NEW YORK (AFP) — Economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who focused on core issues like the distribution of wealth, has died at a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 97.

Citing the late economist's son, Alan Galbraith, the newspaper said Galbraith was one of the most widely read authors in the history of economics.

Among his 33 books was "The Affluent Society", one of the rare works that forces a nation to re-examine its values, the obituary said.

He wrote fluidly, even on complex topics, and many of his compelling phrases -- among them "the affluent society," "conventional wisdom" and "countervailing power" -- became part of the language, according to The New York Times Saturday.

Galbraith was consulted frequently by national leaders, and...