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IZA Prize in Labor Economics

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2009 IZA Prize goes to Richard Easterlin

This year's IZA Prize in Labor Economics, endowed with 50,000 euros, will be awarded to U.S. economist Richard A. Easterlin (University of Southern California). The prestigious award recognizes Easterlin's outstanding research on the analysis of subjective well-being and on the relationship between demographic developments and economic outcomes. In both fields, his work laid the foundations for broadening the scope of traditional economic analysis and thus contributed to advancing our understanding of behavior in a wide variety of economic settings such as education, labor supply decisions and the economics of the family. The official IZA Prize Ceremony will take place in Washington D.C. on October 22, 2009.

See also:
IZA press statement | USC news page | NYT blog entry by Justin Wolfers | Homepage of Richard Easterlin
R. Easterlin
 

About the IZA Prize

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 700 renowned labor economists are affiliated with IZA through its worldwide network of Research Fellows. 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

 

First book in the IZA Prize Series honors Jacob Mincer

A new book, the first in the IZA Prize Series published by Oxford University Press, analyzes the work of one of the most important economists of the 20th century: Jacob Mincer, the inaugural recipient of the IZA Prize in Labor Economics. Since 2002 IZA has awarded this prize for outstanding contributions to policy-relevant labor market research and methodological progress in this sub-discipline of economic science. All prize-winners contribute a volume to the IZA Prize Series, which has been established to provide an overview of the laureates’ most significant findings.

This first volume of the IZA Prize Book Series is unique in many respects. It is the first comprehensive account of the lifetime achievement of the great pioneer in labor economics, Jacob Mincer, who won the first IZA Prize in 2002. According to the award statement by the IZA Prize Committee, "Jacob Mincer is the founding father of modern empirical labor economics. His efforts in developing the scientific instruments and methods used by today's economists to analyze the problems and prospects of the working world are almost unparalleled." The complete text of the document is contained in this book.

The new volume provides a – long overdue – account of Mincer's influential career. It is authored by the Portuguese economist and IZA Research Fellow Pedro Teixeira, a veritable expert on Mincer and his work. Remarkably, Jacob Mincer was always available to the author for many enlightening discussions that made this exceptional volume possible. Depicting Mincer's varied research activities against the background of an eventful life, this book is a necessity for everyone interested in the development of what has become the standard toolset of today's labor economists.

Pedro N. Teixeira: Jacob Mincer: The Founding Father of Modern Labor Economics Oxford University Press, 2007; ISBN 978-3-540-69381-0 [view table of contents]

 

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