On September 22, 2012, IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann awarded this year's IZA Prize in Labor Economics to Richard Blundell (University College London and IFS) during the Annual Conference of the European Association of Labour Economists (EALE) hosted by IZA in Bonn. The Prize honors Blundell's path-breaking contributions to the econometric analysis of labor markets and public policy reforms.
According to the Award Statement, "Professor Blundell has played a major role in the development of modern labor and policy analysis. His work is characterized by a focus on pressing questions in economic policy, the development of cutting-edge econometric methods to tackle such questions, and painstaking analysis of micro data. Blundell's contributions laid the foundations for the modern economic analysis of labor supply, consumer behavior, and policy reforms."
Richard Blundell holds the David Ricardo Chair of Political Economy at University College London. He is a graduate of the University of Bristol and London School of Economics. Since 1986 he has been Research Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), where he is also Director of the ESRC Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy. He has been on the editorial board of many academic journals and is also one of the editors of the Mirrlees Review of Tax Reform which reported its findings in 2011.
In a similar spirit, IZA recently proposed a tax reform concept for Germany, which is based largely on methodology developed by Richard Blundell.
"Richard is a role model to many researchers across the globe. His work is a remarkable combination of academic excellence and policy relevance," said Zimmermann.
A sound understanding of problems in labor economics has proven ever
more important in light of the adjustment processes that are currently
taking place in the international labor markets. In order to account
for this trend, the Institute for the Study of Labor - with generous
support from the Deutsche Post Foundation - has created the "IZA Prize
in Labor Economics". This annual prize is awarded for outstanding
academic achievement in the field of labor economics. It is meant to
stimulate research that tries to find answers to the important labor
market policy questions of our time. In November 2002 the IZA Prize was awarded for the first time [view all past prize-winners].
More than 1,200 renowned labor economists are affiliated with IZA
through its worldwide network. These influential
economists are entitled to nominate
candidates for the prize. The decision will be made by the IZA
Prize Committee, which includes distinguished international labor economists as well
as IZA representatives.
The IZA Prize in Labor Economics underscores the central importance
of labor market research in shaping the "Future of Labor."
For further information, please contact: prize@iza.org
All prize-winners contribute a volume to the IZA Prize in Labor Economic Series published by Oxford University Press, which has been established to provide an overview of the laureates' most significant findings.
Each IZA Prize Laureate contributes a volume to this unique collection of seminal research covering a broad range of topics in labor economics. IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann and other IZA experts serve as co-editors of the series.
Published and forthcoming volumes include:
MINCER: The Founding Father of Modern Labor Economics
EASTERLIN: Happiness, Growth, and the Life Cycle
MORTENSEN/PISSARIDES: Job Matching, Wage Dispersion, and Unemployment
LAYARD/NICKELL: Combatting Unemployment
LAZEAR: Inside the Firm: Contributions to Personnel Economics
CARD/KRUEGER: Wages, School Quality, and Employment Demand
