Anthony Scott was born and educated in Vancouver before moving on to Harvard University and the LSE for master's and doctoral degrees. After a period of research at Cambridge University and teaching at LSE, he joined the economics department at UBC and stayed until his retirement. During this period he served in Ottawa on Royal Commissions, at the OECD on environmental problems, at the FAO on fishery problems, in the US for the Columbia River Power Authority, and in Ottawa-Washington as Commissioner on the International Joint Commission (on boundary waters problems). He has held visiting positions at Queen's University, the University of Chicago, Canberra University, University of York, Nuffield College Oxford, University of Tasmania, and Harvard University. He has been a member of the executives of the American Economic Association and the American Association of Resource Economists; editor of the journal Canadian Public Policy; and President of the Canadian Economics Association.