25 th
Our deepest sympathy
to the family of
Peter Mieszkowski
who passed away on
December 25, 2024.
–
He will be missed
by his family and friends
in Houston and in Poland.
‘Peter Mieszkowski, a professor emeritus of economics at Rice University, was a distinguished scholar whose pioneering contributions shaped the field of public economics, Mieszkowski leaves behind a legacy of academic brilliance and a profound impact on economic thought.
Peter’s many contributions are renowned for the broad range of topics he investigated. His research included analyses of both national and state corporate income taxes, state sales taxes, models of regional taxation including taxes on land rents, the effects of unions on the distribution of income, the extent of racial discrimination in housing, pension plans, the determinants of health, the effects of land use regulation, peer group effects on education, and urban decentralization.
Peter’s career also included work on more applied topics. In an early paper with Nobel laureate James Tobin and tax policy icon Joseph Pechman, he examined the feasibility of implementing a negative income tax — a precursor to today’s popular Earned Income Tax Credit. He also examined the desirability and feasibility of implementing a consumption tax, the effects of intergovernmental grants, and the economic impacts of taxes on energy. Finally, he worked on some tax reform projects in transition economies, including an analysis of reform options in his native Poland as it emerged from the shadow of Soviet rule.
Professor Mieszkowski was an internationally recognized scholar of public economics who published many path-breaking contributions that helped shape the field.‘
READ FULL Rice University article news.rice.edu/news/2025/rice-remembers-peter-mieszkowski-path-breaking-professor-emeritus-economics
Peter supervised my PhD dissertation at Yale in 1971. He regarded me as “his student,” as indeed I am. My interest in Urban Economics was sparked by a presentation he made in fall 1968 at the Applied Econometrics workshop headed by Marc Nerlove. He discussed the work of Richard Muth, whom he met at the University of Chicago. My project for the workshop was empirical work on population densities in urban areas, and the paper was eventually published in the J. of Urban Econ. I had a year-long course in Public Finance with Peter and Joe Stiglitz. They took over the course after the regular professor had passed away. They offered a great course, as perhaps you can imagine. Yale had no course in Urban Economics at the time, so my fields were Labor and Public Finance. I could not understand why he had to leave Yale. His work is outstanding.
To Katharine & Jan, our sincere condolences. Both of your late Parents were wonderful people. They left a legacy of wisdom, modesty and love. I am sure You Both are very proud of them . We are thankful to have know them while living in Houston. Much love to all your Family here and abroad. Ela & Doug McNeilly
I was just a friend who had Peter for home dinner a few times after Gretchen’s passing. We always enjoyed the conversations and his ability to enjoy moments while it was hard to see his health declining. Peter was the son of Jerzy Mieszkowski who was sailing in convoys as Captain of Polish transatlantic ships during WWII.
Goodbye, Peter rest in peace.
Z dziećmi zmarłego profesora Piotra Mieszkowskiego – Katharine i Janem – dzielimy żałobę. Był nam bliskim człowiekiem i choć żył daleko to odczuwaliśmy wzajemnie nasze losy.
Bożena, Elżbieta i Bogusz Steinborn,
kuzynostwo w Warszawie
Liebe Bożena, vielen Dank für die Beileidsbekundungen. Es ist immer noch ein bisschen schockierend, dass Piotr nicht mehr da ist, aber wir sind dankbar, dass wir bei ihm sein konnten und dass er bis zuletzt bei guter Laune war. Alles Liebe, Jan und Katharine