The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

For Angus Deaton – awarded the Prize in Economic Sciences 2015 – fly fishing has helped him think in new and creative ways

© Nobel Media. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud

About the prize

In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The prize is based on a donation received by the Nobel Foundation in 1968 from Sveriges Riksbank on the occasion of the bank’s 300th anniversary. The prize amount is the same as for the Nobel Prizes and is paid by the Riksbank. The first prize in economic sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.

The prize in economic sciences is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901.

See all economic sciences laureates or learn about the nomination process.

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2023

She uncovered key drivers of gender differences in the labour market

Over the past century, the proportion of women in paid work has tripled in many high-income countries. This is one of the biggest societal and economic changes in the labour market in modern times, but significant gender differences remain. It was first in the 1980s that a researcher adopted a comprehensive approach to explaining the source of these differences. Claudia Goldin’s research has given us new and often surprising insights into women’s historical and contemporary roles in the labour market.

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A detective investigating a file cabinet, accompanied by a golden retriever.

Figure 4. Depiction of Claudia Goldin as a detective with her dog Pika.

© Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

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The Nobel Prize medal.

The Nobel Prize medal.

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Clément Morin.

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Laureate in economic sciences Bengt Holmström likes the Chinese board game GO, which begins with simple rules but gets difficult as one progresses.

Photo: Nobel Prize Museum

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How the pull of individuals can move a whole system

Angus Deaton employed theory, data collection and statistics together to see how consumption, poverty, and welfare are related. His conclusion? We need to understand individual consumption choices before we can design economic policy that promotes welfare and reduces poverty.

Angus Deaton visiting the Vasa Museum during the Nobel week in Stockholm.

Angus Deaton visiting the Vasa Museum in Stockholm during Nobel Week.

© Nobel Media. Photo: Pi Frisk

On mathematics, the prize and ‘A Beautiful Mind’

Watch this interview with Dr. John Nash, who received the Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994. He talks about the impact the prize has had on his life, his talent for mathematics as a child and about the movie about his life, ‘A Beautiful Mind’.

John F. Nash Jr.

John F. Nash Jr., awarded the 1994 Prize in Economic Sciences.

Photo: Nobel Foundation archive

Contracts: a glue for modern economies

Read how ‘innumerable contracts’ hold modern economies together. The recipients of the 2016 Prize in Economic Sciences created theoretical tools for understanding real-life contracts and institutions, as well as potential pitfalls in contract design.

Bengt Holmström and Oliver Hart autograph a chair

Oliver Hart (left) and Bengt Holmström autograph a chair at the Nobel Museum.

Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT