During 1961 Professor Silberston produced a paper on the Scitovsky Paradox for his students, which he gave to James Meade for his comments. Meade made some initial comments, which were expanded following some comments by T. Shucksmith. Meade made further comments on the paradox in 1969.
Silberston produced another paper on devaluation, balance of payments and profits in 1968 and James Meade also commented on these.
Professor Silberston was educated at Hackney Downs School, London, Jesus College Cambridge (BA, MA), and the University of Oxford (MA). From 1942 to 1945 he served in the Royal Fusiliers, and was sent to Iraq, Egypt, North Africa and Italy. After World War II he was an economist with Courtalds Ltd (1946 - 1950)
He was a Resident Fellow at St Catherine's College Cambridge 1950 - 1953, and a lecturer in economics 1951 - 1971. From 1972 to 1978 Silberston was dean of Nuffield College Oxford, when he became Professor of Economics at Imperial Collge. In 1987 he became Professor Emeritus. From 1987 to 1999 he was Senior Resident Fellow of the Management School at Imperial College.
He has also been a member on a number of commissions: Monopolies Commission 1965 - 1968, Royal Commission on the Press 1974 - 1977, Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution 1986 - 1996. Silberston has also been Vice President of the Royal Economic Society since 1992, and was president of the Confederation of European Economic Associations 1988 - 1990. In 1993 he was specialist advisor to sub committee B of the European Communities Committee for the House of Lords.
His publications include:
- The Motor Industry (jointly, 1959)
- Economic Impact of the Patent System (jointly, 1973)
- The Steel Industry (jointly, 1974)
- The Multi-Fibre Arrangement and the UK Economy (1984)
- The Future of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (jointly, 1989)
- Beyond the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (jointly, 1995)
- Environmental Economics (joint editor, 1995)
- The Changing Industrial Map of Europe (jointly, 1996)
