[lbo-talk] Why Economic Nobel winners got more progressive in the 90s?

[Michael Perelman]

First of all, there is no Nobel Prize in economics.  It was added later by
others and sort of grafted on the the awards.  For years, one conservative
Swede, Asar Linbek, dominated the process.  I better stop, I am climbing
below my desk because of the terror alert.

On Mon, Dec 22, 2003 at 11:37:59AM -0500, Michael Pollak wrote:
> 
> >From Samuel Brittan's column in Friday's FT.  Maybe everyone else knows
> about broadening the committee, but it was news to me:
> 
> <quote>
> 
> On glancing at the book _A Beautiful Mind_ by Silvia Nasar on which the
> film was based, I came across a fascinating story.  The announcement of
> the 1994 economics prizewinners came 1 1/2 hours late.  Ms Nasar
> discovered there had been an acrimonious discussion beforehand.  Some
> eocnomists needed to be persuaded of the value of the theory of games.
> The next question raised was wehther Nash had recovered sufficiently to
> take part in the elaborate prizegiving ceremony.  As those watching the
> film will know, Nash survived this test with flying colours.  But by then
> the debate had moved to its real subject matter.  Some members of the
> Swedish Academy of Science were doubtful that economics was a geniune
> science.
> 
> The aftermath was an inquiry into the future of the prize.  It was decided
> to broaden it into a general prize for social sciences and to bring two
> non-economists on to the awarding committee.  Some changes have been
> evident.
> 
> <unquote>
> 
> Michael
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-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu