Sir Robert Giffen (1837-1910) was a prolific writer on economic, financial and statistical subjects. His main contributions lie in his accurate measurement and prediction of such indicators as wage rates, economic growth, and national product. Primarily a statistician, his keen eye for the pitfalls of prediction enhanced the reputation and encouraged the study of statistics in this country. Although he tried to avoid political partisanship he delivered a 'most powerful and damaging indictment' of the finances of Gladstone's Home Rule proposals. A strong individualist, Giffen viewed any infraction of the rule of laissez-faire with suspicion, but conceded that a slightr preference to colonial imports might be justified politically. He remains one of the true pioneers of applied economics in its modern sense.
