Zoltan Acs

Zoltan Acs
Born1947 (age 78–79)
Villach, Austria
Academic background
EducationCleveland State University
The New School
ThesisPrice Behavior and the Theory of the Firm in Competitive and Corporate Markets: A Study of the US Steel Industry (1980)
Edward J. Nell
Academic work
School or tradition
Keynesian economics
InstitutionsMiddlebury College
Manhattan College
University of Illinois Springfield
University of Baltimore
Max Planck Institute of Economics
George Mason University
London School of Economics

Zoltan J. Acs (born 1947) is an American economist. He is Professor of Management at The London School of Economics (LSE), and a professor at George Mason University, where he teaches in the Schar School of Policy and Government and is the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. He is also a visiting professor at Imperial College Business School in London and affiliated with the University of Pecs in Hungary. He is co-editor and founder of Small Business Economics.

Acs was previously Research Scholar at the Entrepreneurship Growth and Public Policy Group at the Max Planck Institute for Economics in Jena, Germany. He has also served as Chief Economist at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA); Research Fellow at the U.S. Bureau of the Census; associate director of the Center for International Business Education and Research; Research Associate at the Institute on Western Europe at Columbia University; and Scholar-in-Residence at the Kauffman Foundation.

He is the founder and President of The GEDI Institute, a global think tank based in Washington, D.C. Together with Laszlo Szerb, Acs created the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI).

His most recent book, Why Philanthropy Matters: How the Wealthy Give, and What it Means for our Economic Well-Being (2013), was a finalist for the Academy of Management George R Baker Prize for the best book in management in 2014.

Early life

In 1947, Acs was born in a refugee camp in Austria after his Hungarian parents escaped their home country following World War II.

Research

Acs's primary contributions to his field have been in the areas of Innovation, Regional Knowledge Spillover, Incentives and Entrepreneurship, and Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Awards and Recognition

Acs received the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research in 2001, awarded by the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Economics at the University of Pecs, Hungary in November 2006. His book Why Philanthropy Matters was a finalist for the Academy of Management George R. Terry Book Award for best book in management in 2014. He has been an Outside Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences since 2013.

Publications

Books

Selected articles

References

  1. ↑ Acs, Zoltan J. (1980). "Price Behavior and the Theory of the Firm in Competitive and Corporate Markets: A Study of the US Steel Industry".
  2. ↑ "Professor Zoltan Acs". London School of Economics Department of Management. London School of Economics.
  3. ↑ "Center for Entrepreneurship and Public Policy". George Mason University.
  4. ↑ "Visiting Professors and Researchers". Imperial College Business School. Imperial College Business School of London.
  5. ↑ "The GEDI Institute". Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute.
  6. ↑ Why Philanthropy Matters: How the Wealthy Give, and What It Means for Our Economic Well-Being. Princeton University. February 24, 2013. ISBN 9780691148625.
  7. ↑ "Zoltán Ács". mcc.hu. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Zoltan Acs | Arlington & Fairfax VA | Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University". schar.gmu.edu. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Zoltan J. Acs". Research.com. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Zoltán J. Ács". University of Pecs. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ "The GEDI Institute". The GEDI Institute.
  12. ↑ Ács, Zoltán J. (2013). Why Philanthropy Matters. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691148625.
  13. ↑ Acs, Zoltan (October 2014). Identifying the Obstacles to High Impact Entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean. George Mason University. ISBN 978-1502559210.
  14. ↑ "The GEDI Institute". The GEDI Institute.
  15. ↑ "The GEDI Institute". The GEDI Institute.
  16. ↑ The GEDI Institute. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2012. ISBN 9781781001158 – via Google Play.
  17. ↑ Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research: An Interdisciplinary Survey and Introduction. International Handbook Series on Entrepreneurship. SpringerLink. 2010. ISBN 9781441911902.
  18. ↑ Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research: An Interdisciplinary Survey and Introduction. International Handbook Series on Entrepreneurship. SpringerLink. 2010. ISBN 9781441911902.
  19. ↑ Acs, Zoltan. "Entrepreneurship, Growth, and Public Policy". Academic. Cambridge University Press.
  20. ↑ Acs, Zoltan. "Obesity, Business, and Public Policy". Edward Elgar Publishing. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  21. ↑ Acs, Zoltan. "Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy, with David B. Audretsch and Robert Strom". Academic. Cambridge University Press.
  22. ↑ Acs, Zoltan (2008). Public Policy in an Entrepreneurial Economy. International Studies in Entrepreneurship. Springer Link. ISBN 9780387726625.
  23. ↑ Acs, Zoltan (2008). Public Policy in an Entrepreneurial Economy. International Studies in Entrepreneurship. Springer Link. ISBN 9780387726625.
  24. ↑ Acs, Zoltan. "Obesity, Business, and Public Policy". Edward Elgar Publishing. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  25. ↑ Acs, Zoltan. "Entrepreneurship, Geography, and American Economic Growth". Academic. Cambridge University Press.
  26. ↑ Acs, Zoltan and David Audretsch (2010). Acs, Zoltan J; Audretsch, David B (eds.). Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research. SpringerLink. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1191-9. ISBN 978-1-4419-1190-2.
  27. ↑ Acs, Zoltan and David Audretsch (2010). Acs, Zoltan J; Audretsch, David B (eds.). Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research. SpringerLink. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1191-9. ISBN 978-1-4419-1190-2.