Gunnar Myrdal

Facts

Gunnar Myrdal

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Gunnar Myrdal
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1974

Born: 6 December 1898, Skattungbyn, Sweden

Died: 17 May 1987, Stockholm, Sweden

Prize motivation: "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena."

Contribution: Research on the interrelations between economic, social and political processes.

Prize share: 1/2

Work

Economic issues affect almost every area of society and economic science also interplays with other social sciences. Gunnar Myrdal conducted his first works within economic theory, but later developed broader social analyses. In An American Dilemma (1944), he analyzed the African American population's situation in the US by examining political, institutional, demographic, and education and health factors. Gunnar Myrdal's research has been important in understanding developing countries.

To cite this section
MLA style: Gunnar Myrdal – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2020. Sun. 31 May 2020. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1974/myrdal/facts/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2019

Fifteen laureates were awarded in 2019, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Their work and discoveries range from how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen to our ability to fight global poverty.

See them all presented here.
2019 Nobel Laureates

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.