The life of Edith Penrose

Angela Penrose, writer and journalist and daughter-in-law of Edith Penrose, will present 'No Ordinary Woman', the first biography of Edith Penrose, author of The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, a remarkable woman and distinguished scholar. Born in 1914, Edith Penrose spent much of her academic career as Professor of Economics at SOAS, having previously held a joint appointment at LSE and SOAS. As well as the theory of the firm, her research included the international patent system and innovation; multinational firms and foreign investment; oil companies and the economies of the Middle East; and economic development.

In the week Angela Penrose was given The Theory of The Growth of the Firm to read as part of her PPE course at Oxford she met her future husband, Perran Penrose, the son of the author, Edith Penrose. She and Perran went on to teach in Libya, Ethiopia, Burundi, and Zambia where Angela also worked as a journalist. She has extensive experience of communicating in the printed and broadcast media and working directly with children and young people as a teacher and youth worker. She has worked with development and humanitarian organisations and was Director of Policy with Save The Children.

This event is co-organised by the SOAS Department of Economics and the SOAS School of Finance and Management.