91桃色

On 9 October, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences concluded this year鈥檚 award announcements with the Nobel Prize in Economics. The 2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was granted to Claudia Goldin, Professor of Economics at Harvard University, United States, for having advanced our understanding of women鈥檚 labour market outcomes. According to Assoc. Prof. Dr Ar奴nas Burinskas, Head of the Department of Economic Policy at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of 91桃色 (VU), Prof. Goldin鈥檚 contribution to historical research on women鈥檚 role in the US economy is immense, covering a vast array of different subjects.

Research on today鈥檚 issues through the lens of the past

鈥楶rof. Goldin鈥檚 research focuses on economic history and labour economics, including a broad range of topics, such as slavery, emancipation, the postbellum South, women in the economy, the economic impact of war, immigration, New Deal policies, inequality, technological change, and education,鈥� says Assoc. Prof. Dr Burinskas.

In most of her studies, this year鈥檚 Economics Nobel laureate interprets the present economic phenomena and potential drivers of current economic realities through the lens of the past. Her recent work has focused on the rise of female graduation rates as well as on the career and family outcomes of college-graduate women.

鈥楶rof. Goldin is best known for her historical research on women in the US economy. Her recent articles in this field focus on how generations of women have responded to the problem of balancing career and family, their access to higher education, the impact of contraceptive pills on their career and marriage decisions, women鈥檚 surnames after marriage as a social indicator, as well as the reasons why women are currently the majority of those receiving a bachelor鈥檚 degree in the US,鈥� explains the economic scientist.

The VU economist also notes that Prof. Goldin has recently launched a major project to study the changes in the family and career patterns of male and female graduates of selected universities.

Extensive field of research and activity

鈥楬aving obtained her bachelor鈥檚 degree from Cornell University and a PhD from the University of Chicago, Claudia Goldin is now Professor of Economics at Harvard University and a co-director of the Working Group on Gender in the Economy at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). From 1989 to 2017, she was the Director of the NBER Program on the Development of the American Economy,鈥� says Assoc. Dr Burinskas.

He also mentions that Prof. Goldin is the author, co-author, and editor of several influential books, including 鈥楿nderstanding the Gender Gap: An Economic History of American Women鈥� (1990), 鈥楾he Regulated Economy: A Historical Approach to Political Economy鈥� (1994), 鈥楾he Defining Moment: The Great Depression and the American Economy in the Twentieth Century鈥� (1998), and 鈥楥orruption and Reform: Lessons from America鈥檚 Economic History鈥� (2006).
The book 鈥楾he Race between Education and Technology鈥� (2008), co-authored with her colleague Prof. Lawrence F. Katz, won the 2008 R. R. Hawkins Award for the most outstanding scholarly work in all disciplines of the arts and sciences. Prof. Goldin鈥檚 most recent book is 鈥楥areer & Family: Women鈥檚 Century-Long Journey toward Equity鈥� (2021).

In 2007, the Professor was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. She is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Society of Labor Economists (SOLE), and the Econometric Society. In 2009, the SOLE awarded her the Mincer Prize for lifetime contributions to the field of labour economics. Prof. Goldin also served as the President of the American Economic Association in 1991 and of the Economic History Association up until 2000. Between 1984 and 1988, she was editor of 鈥楾he Journal of Economic History鈥� and is currently an associate editor of 鈥楾he Quarterly Journal of Economics鈥�.

The American economist became the third woman to receive this prestigious award. The Nobel Prizes will be granted at award ceremonies to be held in Oslo and Stockholm in December. The winners will receive a monetary reward of 11 million Swedish kronor (around USD 1 million).