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Downs, Anthony 1930-2021

Archival location guide — where this economist’s surviving papers are held, their notable correspondents, and key published sources.

Born 1930 · died 2021

James Anthony Downs was an American economist specializing in public policy and public administration. His research focuses included political choice theory, rent control, affordable housing, and transportation economics. He wrote a number of books including, An Economic Theory of Democracy (1957) and Inside Bureaucracy (1967), which have been major influences on the public choice school of political economy. In Downs's Law of Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion (1962), he predicted that expanding expressways could not reduce traffic congestion, since demand would increase as well, and that reducing speeds increases capacity.

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Where the papers are held

The surviving papers of Downs, Anthony 1930-2021 are held at Carleton College.

Holding institution(s) sourced from Wikidata — confirm current location and access arrangements with the archive before visiting.

Read the works online

Digitised full-text books and writings by Downs, Anthony 1930-2021 — free to read.

Cite this entry

Downs, Anthony 1930-2021. “Archival papers.” Economists’ Papers, https://www.economistspapers.org.uk/downs-anthony-1930-2021/ (accessed 17 Jun 2026).