2024 Nobel Laureates in Economic Sciences at SSE

Join the 2024 Nobel laureates in economic sciences at the Stockholm School of Economics for a discussion on their groundbreaking research. This event offers CIVICA members the chance to hear, first-hand, how societal institutions shape a country's prosperity and development.

The 2024 recipients of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel; Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) and James Robinson (University of Chicago, USA), will take part in a discussion moderated by Tore Ellingsen, SSE’s Chair in Economics. Ellingsen, who also teaches in the upcoming CIVICA multicampus course ‘The Road to the Green Transition’, will lead the conversation, shedding light on the laureates’ influential research.

Event information

Date and time: 12 December 2025, 12pm CET

Location: Stockholm School of Economics, Assembly Hall

Online: Stream the event here

Insights into the research behind the award

The laureates have shown that one explanation for differences in countries’ prosperity is the societal institutions that were introduced during colonisation. Inclusive institutions were often introduced in countries that were poor when they were colonised, over time resulting in a generally prosperous population. This is an important factor in explaining why former colonies that were once rich are now poor, and vice versa.

In awarding the 2024 prize, Jakob Svensson, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences stated; “Reducing the vast differences in income between coun- tries is one of our time’s greatest challenges. The laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for achieving this.”