Sent this out before I saw other messages. Vickrey (not "Vickery") got the 1996 prize with Mirrlees, not the 1966 or 1997.
I agree with Max that he did some very important and original work in microeconomics which was what they gave him the prize for. They gave it to him DESPITE his more recent macro stuff which they viewed as an abomination. Very convenient for the committee that he kicked the bucket so quickly after receiving it.
Vickrey was a Quaker and this lay behind his progressivism.
The Economics prize was not established to be pro-Chicago and the original committee was moderately progressive, although always very orthodox (never did give Joan Robinson the prize). Lindbeck was not originally on it, but once he got on he dominated the committee and definitely dragged it to the right. He is not on now which is one of the reasons that Vickrey got his prize. Many Swedish economists have been critical of their own system and using the US rightwingers to beat up on their own policymakers, Lindbeck leading the charge.
BTW, after having gotten way ahead of other places in receiving Nobel prizes, I forecast that it will be a long time before the University of Chicago econ dept. is the home of another Nobel Prize recipient, unless they hire somebody they already don't have. Barkley Rosser -----Original Message----- From: J. Barkley Rosser, Jr. <rosserjb at jmu.edu> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Date: Monday, March 01, 1999 5:46 PM Subject: Re: William Vickery question
>Marta,
> Yes, William Vickrey was co-recipient along with James Mirrlees of the
>1997 Prize in Memory of Alfred Nobel in economics awarded by the Swedish
>Central Bank. It is correct that it is not a "real" Nobel and was cooked
up
>in 1969.
>Barkley Rosser
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Marta Russell <ap888 at lafn.org>
>To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
>Date: Saturday, February 27, 1999 1:19 PM
>Subject: William Vickery question
>
>
>>Could someone confirm (or dis-confirm) that Prof William Vickery is a
>>nobel laureate in economics?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Marta
>>
>>
>
>