Daron Acemoglu: 2005 John Bates Clark Medalist

Daron Acemoglu, winner of the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal, uses theoretical and empirical analysis to tackle critical issues in a variety of fields in economics, including labor economics, macroeconomics, and political economy. His unparalleled combination of originality, thoroughness, and prolificacy has propelled him to the frontier of each field that he has explored. The Clark medal committee notes that “his work is always motivated by real-world questions that arise when facts are difficult to reconcile with existing theory.” Daron focuses on a core set of questions and uses the best tools available to answer them. What determines the accumulation of human capital both during formal schooling and on the job? How do the implications of labor market frictions depend on the information available to job searchers? How do economic incentives affect the type of technological change that we observe? Why are there such enormous differences in output per worker and total factor productivity across countries?