On 19 December 1928, Sigbert Jon Prais was born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany; he was the oldest of four children to orthodox Jewish parents.
Prais' father established a manufacturing company that made metal frames and ornaments for women's handbags, in Birmingham.
From King Edward's School, he matriculated to the University of Birmingham for his undergraduate studies and then moved on to the PhD program at the Department of Applied Economics at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
Prais and Hart's research led to the publication of two important studies on the matter: the first in 1956, titled "The Analysis of Business Concentration: A Statistical Approach", and second in 1976, "The Evolution of Giant Firms in Britain".
In 1987, Prais' innovative and expert analysis of international educational systems led to his appointment to the Kenneth Baker's mathematics working group.