Economic Thinkers
People in Economics -- Nobel prize winners
Profiles of prominent figures in the fields of economics and finance.

F&D interviews include a number of Nobel prize winners. The Nobel prize in Economics was established in 1968 by the Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank). Some of our profiles also include video interviews.
List by: Most recent, or Policymakers
Path Breaking
Kenneth Arrow, pathbreaking theorist whose work cut across many areas of economics
Arrow's work following World War II was the cornerstone for successive generations of economists in both theoretical and applied research, with his theories on general equilibrium, welfare, and social choice leading the way.
Labor Rewarded
Christopher Pissarides, visionary on the economics of unemployment
Pissarides helped transform the way economists view labor markets. Understanding unemployment has been his life’s work since the 1970s.
The Master Artisan
Elinor Ostrom, first woman to win economics Nobel, by Maureen Burke
The Human Face of Economics
George Akerlof, Berkeley professor and founder of identity economics, by Prakash Loungani
Well known for his early work on the economic consequences of information asymmetries, Akerlof’s long career at Berkeley also yielded a body of work in which he used innovative ways to look at unemployment. He has also been a perennial voice calling for sensible government regulation in the banking sector.
George Akerlof on Identity Economics
Residual Brilliance
Robert Solow, giant in the field of economic growth theory, by Atish Rex Ghosh
Solow looked at the sources of growth—capital, labor, and technological progress, finding the latter to be the main driver of long-term growth. For decades, his work has influenced governments’ policies across the world as they look to increase funding for technological research to spur economic growth.
Robert Solow on reshaping economics
The People’s Professor
Joseph Stiglitz, former World Bank Chief Economist, by Prakash Loungani
Having amassed a body of work examining the rather profound effects that the adequacy and availability of information has on economic transactions, Stiglitz also played a key role as chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors in the 1990s.
Stiglitz on Iceland
Stiglitz on reshaping economics
Michael Spence on reshaping economics
Questioning a Chastened Priesthood
Daniel Kahneman, psychologist who helped build the field of behavioral economics, by Jeremy Clift
The Catch-Up Game
Michael Spence, former Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business, by Archana Kumar
Ahead of His Time
Robert Mundell, former advisor to the UN, IMF, and World Bank, by Laura Wallace
Economist as Crusader
Paul Krugman, winner of both the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, by Arvind Subramanian
Freedom as Progress
Amartya Sen, inventor of better measures of poverty, by Laura Wallace
The Lab Man
Vernon Smith, senior fellow at Cato Institute, by Jeremy Clift