James J. Heckman

Facts

James J. Heckman

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

James J. Heckman
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2000

Born: 19 April 1944, Chicago, IL, USA

Affiliation at the time of the award: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Prize motivation: “for his development of theory and methods for analyzing selective samples”

Prize share: 1/2

Life

James Heckman was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He attended college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he majored in mathematics. He studied economics at Princeton University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1971. He taught at several institutions before joining the economics faculty at the University of Chicago. Heckman is married with two children.

Work

James Heckman received the Prize in Economic Sciences for his development of theory and methods used in the analysis of individual or household behavior. His work in selective samples led him to develop methods (such as the Heckman correction) for overcoming statistical sample-selection problems. His research has given policymakers new insights into areas such as education, job training and the importance of accounting for general equilibrium in the analysis of labor markets.

To cite this section
MLA style: James J. Heckman – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Fri. 13 Dec 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2000/heckman/facts/>

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

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

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