IZA Awards
Building on the legacy of the IZA Prize and the Young Labor Economist Award, the IRECC and IRRPI Awards focus on applying economic rigor to pressing societal challenges. Plans for future research prizes are in development, with further details to be announced once the program is finalized.
Our awards
IZA Award for Innovative Research on a Pressing Public Issue
With the 2025 launch of the "Innovative Research on a Pressing Public Issue" (IRPPI) award, IZA recognizes excellence in economic research addressing challenges of high societal relevance. The inaugural edition focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), honoring the best IZA Discussion Paper on the economic implications of AI and its effects on the labor market.
Moving forward, the IZA Network at LISER remains committed to this mission: bridging the gap between scientific research and the public debate by providing evidence-based insights into urgent policy issues.
IZA Award for Innovative Research on the Economics of Climate Change
The IRECC Award, including a €10,000 prize, was presented from 2022 to 2024 to support excellent scientific research on the economics of climate change. Eligible for the award were all newly published IZA Discussion Papers exploring the implications of climate change for the labor market, employment, commuting patterns, productivity, health, well-being, and related fields.
IZA Prize in Labor Economics
The IZA Prize in Labor Economics was awarded to some of the most influential economists in the field. Many laureates have shared their groundbreaking research through contributions to the IZA Prize Book Series, further advancing knowledge in labor economics.
IZA Prize Laureates:
2018: Joseph Altonji (Yale University)
2016: Claudia Goldin (Harvard University)
2015: Jan Svejnar (Columbia University)
2014: Gary S. Fields (Cornell University)
2013: Daniel S. Hamermesh (University of Texas at Austin / RHUL)
2012: Richard Blundell (University College London / IFS)
2011: George Borjas (Harvard University) & Barry R. Chiswick (George Washington University)
2010: Francine D. Blau (Cornell University)
2009: Richard Easterlin (University of Southern California)
2008: Richard Layard (London School of Economics) & Stephen Nickell (Nuffield College, Oxford)
2007: Richard Freeman (Harvard University / London School of Economics)
2006: David Card (University of California, Berkeley) & Alan B. Krueger (Princeton University)
2005: Dale Mortensen (Northwestern University) & Christopher Pissarides (London School of Economics)
2004: Edward Lazear (Stanford University)
2003: Orley Ashenfelter (Princeton University)
2002: Jacob Mincer (Columbia University)
IZA Young Labor Economist Award
From 2006 to 2021, IZA recognized outstanding early-career labor market researchers under the age of 45 with the IZA Young Labor Economist Award. This award underscored IZA's commitment to fostering young academic talent and promoting excellence in labor economics research.
IZA YLEA Winners:
2021: Patrick Kline (University of California, Berkeley)
2019: Leah Platt Boustan (Princeton University) & Philipp Kircher (University of Edinburgh)
2017: Magne Mogstad (University of Chicago)
2015: Reed Walker (University of California, Berkeley)
2014: Brian Kovak (Carnegie Mellon University)
2013: Martha Bailey (University of Michigan), Brad Hershbein (Upjohn Institute) & Amalia Miller (University of Virginia)
2012: Scott Carrell (University of California, Davis) & Mark Hoekstra (Texas A&M University)
2011: Johannes Abeler (University of Oxford), Steffen Altmann (IZA), Sebastian Kube (University of Bonn) & Mathias Wibral (University of Bonn)
2010: Raj Chetty (Harvard University)
2009: Alexandre Mas (Princeton University)
2008: Fabian Lange (Yale University)
2007: Oriana Bandiera (London School of Economics), Iwan Barankay (University of Warwick) & Imran Rasul (University College London)
2006: Enrico Moretti (University of California, Berkeley)
With the 2025 launch of the "Innovative Research on a Pressing Public Issue" (IRPPI) award, IZA recognizes excellence in economic research addressing challenges of high societal relevance. The inaugural edition focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), honoring the best IZA Discussion Paper on the economic implications of AI and its effects on the labor market.
Moving forward, the IZA Network at LISER remains committed to this mission: bridging the gap between scientific research and the public debate by providing evidence-based insights into urgent policy issues.
The IRECC Award, including a €10,000 prize, was presented from 2022 to 2024 to support excellent scientific research on the economics of climate change. Eligible for the award were all newly published IZA Discussion Papers exploring the implications of climate change for the labor market, employment, commuting patterns, productivity, health, well-being, and related fields.
The IZA Prize in Labor Economics was awarded to some of the most influential economists in the field. Many laureates have shared their groundbreaking research through contributions to the IZA Prize Book Series, further advancing knowledge in labor economics.
IZA Prize Laureates:
2018: Joseph Altonji (Yale University)
2016: Claudia Goldin (Harvard University)
2015: Jan Svejnar (Columbia University)
2014: Gary S. Fields (Cornell University)
2013: Daniel S. Hamermesh (University of Texas at Austin / RHUL)
2012: Richard Blundell (University College London / IFS)
2011: George Borjas (Harvard University) & Barry R. Chiswick (George Washington University)
2010: Francine D. Blau (Cornell University)
2009: Richard Easterlin (University of Southern California)
2008: Richard Layard (London School of Economics) & Stephen Nickell (Nuffield College, Oxford)
2007: Richard Freeman (Harvard University / London School of Economics)
2006: David Card (University of California, Berkeley) & Alan B. Krueger (Princeton University)
2005: Dale Mortensen (Northwestern University) & Christopher Pissarides (London School of Economics)
2004: Edward Lazear (Stanford University)
2003: Orley Ashenfelter (Princeton University)
2002: Jacob Mincer (Columbia University)
From 2006 to 2021, IZA recognized outstanding early-career labor market researchers under the age of 45 with the IZA Young Labor Economist Award. This award underscored IZA's commitment to fostering young academic talent and promoting excellence in labor economics research.
IZA YLEA Winners:
2021: Patrick Kline (University of California, Berkeley)
2019: Leah Platt Boustan (Princeton University) & Philipp Kircher (University of Edinburgh)
2017: Magne Mogstad (University of Chicago)
2015: Reed Walker (University of California, Berkeley)
2014: Brian Kovak (Carnegie Mellon University)
2013: Martha Bailey (University of Michigan), Brad Hershbein (Upjohn Institute) & Amalia Miller (University of Virginia)
2012: Scott Carrell (University of California, Davis) & Mark Hoekstra (Texas A&M University)
2011: Johannes Abeler (University of Oxford), Steffen Altmann (IZA), Sebastian Kube (University of Bonn) & Mathias Wibral (University of Bonn)
2010: Raj Chetty (Harvard University)
2009: Alexandre Mas (Princeton University)
2008: Fabian Lange (Yale University)
2007: Oriana Bandiera (London School of Economics), Iwan Barankay (University of Warwick) & Imran Rasul (University College London)
2006: Enrico Moretti (University of California, Berkeley)
