Paul Krugman 1

Paul Krugman

Influential economist, prolific author, and commentator.

RANKED THINKER

Ranked #3 in 2009.

FAST FACT

Recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, 2008.

FAST FACT

Named favourite living economist under the age of 60 in a survey of economics professors, 2011.

Ideas

Krugman was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for his contributions to New Trade Theory and New Economic Geography and, in particular, for his work explaining the patterns of international trade and the geographic distribution of economic activity, by examining the effects of economies of scale and of consumer preferences for diverse goods and services. “By having integrated economies of scale into explicit general equilibrium models,” the committee stated, “Krugman has deepened our understanding of the determinants of trade and the location of economic activity.” Krugman has also been influential in the fields of international finance, macroeconomics, and fiscal policy. He has authored or edited almost 30 books.

Bio

Krugman’s interest in economics began with the Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov, in which the social scientists of the future use a new science of “psychohistory” to try to save civilization. According to Krugman, since modern-day science fell far short of psychohistory, he turned to economics as the next best thing. After obtaining his PhD at MIT, he became assistant professor at Yale and joined the faculty at MIT in 1979. In 2000, he moved on to Princeton as professor of economics and international affairs. In 2015, he joined the faculty at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Krugman’s book International Economics: Theory and Policy, which he co-authored with Maurice Obstfeld, is a standard undergraduate textbook on international economics.

Content

The Age of Diminished Expectations: US Economic Policy in the 1990s (MIT Press, 1990); Peddling Prosperity: Economic Sense and Nonsense in an Age of Diminished Expectations (WW Norton, 1994); Pop Internationalism (MIT Press, 1996); The Accidental Theorist and Other Dispatches from the Dismal Science (Penguin, 1998); The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century (WW Norton, 2003); The Conscience of a Liberal (WW Norton, 2007); The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 (Allen Lane, 2008); End This Depression Now! (WW Norton, 2012); Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (WW Norton, 2020).

NATIONALITY: American

Media picks

Verdict

“Beyond doubt the key player in ‘placing geographical analysis squarely in the economic mainstream’ … and in conferring it the central role it now assumes.”

Nobel Prize Committee

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest and greatest ideas in business, management, and thought leadership.

*mandatory field

Thinkers50 will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide news, updates, and marketing. Please confirm that you agree to have us contact you by clicking below:


You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at . We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Privacy Policy Update

Thinkers50 Limited has updated its Privacy Policy on 28 March 2024 with several amendments and additions to the previous version, to fully incorporate to the text information required by current applicable date protection regulation. Processing of the personal data of Thinkers50’s customers, potential customers and other stakeholders has not been changed essentially, but the texts have been clarified and amended to give more detailed information of the processing activities.

Thinkers50 Awards Gala 2023

Join us in celebration of the best in business and management thinking.