Coases

Coases is a surname of English origin. In reference works the form may refer to individuals bearing the surname, with Coase more commonly encountered as the base form. The plural form Coases is used when listing multiple people with the surname in encyclopedic contexts.

The most prominent figure associated with the name is Ronald H. Coase (1910–2013), a British-born economist who became a naturalized American citizen and taught at the University of Chicago. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1991 for his analysis of the transaction costs and the institutional structure of the economy. He is best known for the Coase Theorem, introduced in The Problem of Social Cost (1960), which states that with zero transaction costs and clearly defined property rights, private bargaining can lead to efficient outcomes regardless of initial allocations of rights. He also contributed to the theory of the firm and to the broader understanding of how institutions influence economic performance.

Outside Ronald Coase, the surname Coase or its plural form Coases is relatively uncommon in major reference works, and there are comparatively few widely cited figures with this surname. The name appears in genealogical and regional records, primarily in the United Kingdom and among descendants of English families.