Den diesjährigen Nobelpreis für Wirtschaftswissenschaften hat der Inder Amartya Sen für seine grundlegenden Beiträge zur Wohlfahrtsökonomik, zur Einkommensverteilung und zur Analyse von Hunger und Armut erhalten. Einen Überblick über die Arbeiten von Amartya Sen gibt Dr. Hans-Peter Weikard.

Mit dem diesjährigen Nobelpreis für Wirtschaftswissenschaften wurde Robert A. Mundell „für seine Analyse der Geld- und Fiskalpolitik in verschiedenen Wechselkurssystemen und für seine Analyse optimaler Währungsgebiete" ausgezeichnet. Die zugrundeliegenden Arbeiten wurden bereits in der...

This paper studies the impact of global factors on patterns of basic research across countries and time. We rely on the records of major scientific awards, and on data dealing with global economic and historical trends. Specifically, we investigate the degree to which scale or threshold effects...

Nobel laureates in economics make their most important and creative contributionsbetween the ages of 29 and 38. The average creative age of Nobel economists is slightly belowthat of laureates in physics, and considerably younger than that of laureates in chemistry andmedicine/physiology. The...

In conjunction with its tercentenary celebrations in 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of Sweden) instituted a new award, 'The Central Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel' on the basis of an economic commitment by the bank in perpetuity. The award is given by the...

Suppose an agency awards a fixed number of prizes to applicants in different categories such that the applicant-to-winner ratio is constant by category. It is demonstrated in a simple theoretical model that the number of awards in a category will typically be positively related to the degree of...

Awards play a large role in the economics profession, which is documented by the large variety and number of awards. However, little scientific attention has been devoted to them. This paper documents the prevalence of awards in the economics profession and analyzes the number and type of awards...

This paper analyzes awards as a means of motivation prevalent in the scientific community, but so far neglected in the economic literature on incentives, and discusses their relationship to monetary compensation. Awards are better suited than performance pay to reward scientific tasks, which are...

Behavioral economics documents the importance of status and self-image concerns in the workplace, but is largely silent about how to instrumentalize them to induce effort. Awards - widespread in the corporate sector and elsewhere - are motivators that derive their value from such social...

Awards are widespread in all countries and are prevalent both in the public sphere and in the private sector. This paper argues, and empirically supports, that awards serve public functions and economists should take them seriously. Using a unique cross-country data set, we suggest that awards...