Scholars honored for boundary-breaking work in economics

The Global Development and Environment (GDAE) Institute awarded its annual economics prize to Samuel Bowles of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Juliet Schor of Boston College at an awards ceremony on October 5.

In recognition of the recent passing of economist John Kenneth Galbraith, the winner of the inaugural Leontief Prize in 2000, this year’s lectures by Bowles and Schor focused on the theme “Economics for an Imperfect World: Building on the Galbraith Legacy.” Schor is a professor of sociology at BC, and Bowles, professor of economics emeritus at UMass, is a research professor and director of the behavioral sciences program at the Santa Fe Institute.

“For three-quarters of a century, Ken Galbraith kept open a space in which economists could make robust connections between our profession and the things that most matter in the world,” said Neva Goodwin, co-director of GDAE, which is jointly affiliated with the Fletcher School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The annual awards are given in memory of Nobel Prize-winning economist and GDAE advisory board member Wassily Leontief. The Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought recognizes economists whose work combines theoretical and empirical research that can promote a more comprehensive understanding of social and environmental processes.

“Sam Bowles has inspired generations of economists—including an impressive array of his own students—to expand the frontiers of research and teaching in economics. Juliet Schor’s scholarly and popular writings have changed perceptions of American society and especially the costs of its high-consumption lifestyle,” Goodwin said.