Nobel Prize

by Assar Lindbeck Introduction In conjunction with its tercentenary celebrations in 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (the central bank of Sweden) instituted a new award, “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel” on the basis of an economic commitment by the bank in perpetuity. The award is given by the Royal Swedish…

by Francis SejerstedChairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, 1991-1999 Alfred Nobel’s will In 1895 Alfred Bernhard Nobel drew up a according to which his wealth was to be devoted to the annual award of five prizes “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” That three of the…

by 1997 Nobel Peace Prize laureate3 September 1999 When the (ICBL) was formally launched in October of 1992, few imagined that the grassroots movement would capture the public imagination and build political pressure to such a degree that, within five years, the international community would come together to negotiate a treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. But…

“If You Desire Peace, Cultivate Justice” by Juan Somavia Director-General of the International Labour Organization 7 May 2002 In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1969, the Nobel Committee referred to the motto enshrined in the foundations of the ILO’s original building in Geneva, “Si vis pacem, cole justitiam”…

Nelson Mandela and the rainbow of culture by Anders Hallengren This article was published on 11 September 2001. Equality and pluralism After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela negotiated the dismantling of the apartheid regime in South Africa, settled an agreement on universal suffrage and democratic elections, and became the first black president of the…

Grazia Deledda: Voice of Sardinia The First Italian Woman to Receive the Nobel Prize in Literature by Anders Hallengren This article was published on 2 September 2002. A Wintry Nordic Night in 1927 At 6:45 p.m., during the lunar eclipse of an exceptionally dark and frosty winter evening on December 8, 1927, a small Italian…

Writing the “The Market for ‘Lemons'”: A Personal Interpretive Essay by George A. Akerlof2001 laureate in economic sciences This article was published on 14 November 2003. I wrote “The Market for ‘Lemons,'” (a 13-page paper for which I was awarded the Prize in Economics) during my first year as assistant professor at Berkeley, in 1966-67.…

by Olav Njølstad Research Director, the Norwegian Nobel Institute, 1999 – Since the end of the Cold War, many surprising facts and well-kept secrets about the policy-making in the former Soviet Union have been disclosed through the release of newly declassified documents. In more ways than one, this new openness has added to our knowledge…

by Bo Svensén* Organisation of work Once the of the Nobel Foundation had been ratified in June 1900, the Swedish Academy immediately set to work on the preparations required to enable the award of the first Nobel Prize in 1901. A Nobel Committee consisting of five members of the Academy was established in October 1900.…

by Judith Goodstein California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology is a small, independent university of research and teaching in science and engineering, with 900 Ph.D. level researchers, including almost 300 regular faculty, 900 undergraduates, and 1,000 graduate students. In spite of its small size, it has become one of the world’s leading…