Introduction

Peter Schmidt obtained his B.A. (Economics) in 1969, his M.A. (Economics) in 1970, and his Ph.D. (Economics) in 1970, the latter under the supervision of Jan Kmenta. His academic career began at Wayne State University in 1971 as an assistant professor and in the same year he moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an assistant professor, later to be promoted to associate professor (1974). In 1977, he became Professor at Michigan State University, replacing James Ramsey. Peter has remained there since and in 1997 became University Distinguished Professor. He also has held many visiting positions in universities across the world.