Three academics were named as leading contenders for the 2016 Nobel prize in economic sciences for their pioneering work in the field, according to a prediction from Clarivate Analytics, formerly the intellectual property and science business of Thomson Reuters.
Olivier J. Blanchard — the Robert M. Solow professor of economics emeritus, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the C. Fred Bergsten senior fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics — was named for his work in determining economic and employment fluctuations, and other contributions to macroeconomics.
Edward P. Lazear — the Jack Steele Parker professor of human resources, management and economics, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox senior fellow, Hoover Institution — was cited for his development of the field of personnel economics.
Marc J. Melitz — the David A. Wells professor of political economy, Department of Economics, Harvard University — was named for his descriptions of firm heterogeneity and international trade.
The winner of the prize, formally called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, is scheduled to be announced Oct. 10. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards the prize.
The Thomson Reuters unit has picked 12 individuals who won alone or shared Nobel prizes in economics since it began its annual predictions in 2002, spokeswoman Jennifer Figueroa said.
Criteria for naming contenders include the frequency of citations in research papers to an individual’s academic work.
Thomson Reuters on Monday completed the sale of its intellectual property and science business to Onex Corp. and Baring Private Equity Asia for $3.55 billion, according to a joint news release from the two private equity managers. The former unit will operate as a separate company under the name Clarivate Analytics.