Nobel Prize Conversations

“I think economics is getting closer and closer to being a respectable science”

“I think economics is getting closer and closer to being a respectable science. Even when we were not the most respectable science, we still needed to keep pushing forward because the topic actually matters to the planet, to the humans on the planet, and to the animals on the planet.” Douglas Diamond is a strong advocate for economics as a scientific field. His passion for economics was sparked at a young age when he accidentally took an undergraduate course in the topic.

In this conversation, conducted in February 2023, Diamond reflects on the working environment at University of Chicago – a work place that has become his home after working there 30 years – and how he sees more and more women enter the field of economics, something he thinks is a very positive development. He also tells us about the “No” bell that he received from Richard Thaler – a tool to helps him say no as a newly awarded laureate.

The host of this podcast is Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer at Nobel Prize Outreach.

Nobel Prize Conversations is produced in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces.