Jacob Soll
Profile
Jacob Soll is a historian, philosopher, and accounting scholar whose work bridges the worlds of ideas, economics, and governance. He serves as University Professor of Philosophy, History, and Accounting at the University of Southern California (USC).
Professor Soll’s groundbreaking research explores the origins of modern states and markets, revealing how systems of accounting, transparency, and information have shaped the rise and fall of nations. Through a blend of intellectual history and economic analysis, his work illuminates how financial accountability—or its absence—has driven both prosperity and collapse across centuries.
Academic and Advisory Roles
Professor Soll has held teaching positions at Cambridge University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, and the European University Institute, and has been a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at both the University of St. Gallen and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Beyond academia, he has advised the European Commission, the Governments of Greece, Portugal, and Spain, and U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown on fiscal transparency, public financial management, and state reform. His counsel has been sought by governments, sovereign wealth funds, investment banks, and policy institutions seeking to improve standards of public accounting and debt management.
Research and Publications
Professor Soll is the author of several widely acclaimed books on the history of economic thought, governance, and financial accountability. His works trace the intellectual and institutional roots of market societies and explore how accounting systems serve as the foundation for moral and political order.
His book The Reckoning: Financial Accountability and the Rise and Fall of Nations examines how accurate bookkeeping and transparent accounting practices underpinned the success of empires, corporations, and banking families—from the Medici to modern nation-states. It argues that failures in accounting often mirror deeper ethical and civic crises.
His later works continue to explore the evolution of markets, the moral dimensions of finance, and the philosophical foundations of economic governance. In Free Market: The History of an Idea, Professor Soll traces the transformation of market thought from Renaissance moral philosophy to modern economics—praised by Larry Summers, Martin Wolf, and The Wall Street Journal, and named one of the Financial Times’ Best Summer Books of 2024.
Speaking and Public Engagement
A dynamic public speaker, Jacob Soll has addressed the European Commission, the Hellenic Parliament, and major academic and policy forums worldwide. His lectures cover topics such as:
State Building and Market Formation
The History of Free Market Thought
The Role of Information in Governance
Accounting and the Moral Foundations of Capitalism
Financial Transparency and the Prevention of Sovereign Debt Crises
He has delivered keynote lectures and panels at Columbia University, the University of Southern California, and TEDxNewWallStreet, where he discussed “Bankers, Public Accounting, and Financial Transparency.”
Awards and Honors
Professor Soll’s work has earned international acclaim and numerous distinctions, including:
MacArthur Fellowship (2011)
Guggenheim Fellowship (2009)
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships (2011, 2017)
Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History (2005)
These awards recognize his contributions to understanding how ideas and institutions of accountability shape modern economic and political life.
Public Thought and Media
Soll’s ideas regularly appear in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His op-eds include:
“There Is a Secret Hamiltonian in the White House”, The New York Times (2024)
“Greece’s Accounting Problem”, The New York Times (2015)
“No Accounting Skills? No Moral Reckoning”, The New York Times (2014)
These writings extend his academic work into urgent contemporary debates about governance, fiscal responsibility, and moral economy.
Education
Ph.D. in History, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge
D.E.A. in History and Philosophy, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris
Advisory Expertise
Public Financial Management • Sovereign Debt Reform • Fiscal Transparency • Historical Roots of Markets and States • Accounting Standards in Governance • Moral Philosophy of Economics
Areas of Expertise
Economic Thought • Financial History • Accounting and Governance • Market Institutions • Political Economy • Renaissance and Enlightenment Intellectual History