The 2008 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Honor of Alfred Nobel has been awarded to Paul Krugman.
Usually it’s the Peace prize that’s awarded on the basis of what will make right-wingers’ heads explode in the US. They went for a Scandawegian for that one, though, so the economics peusdo-Nobel was the next obvious choice.
Seriously, from what little I understand of economics, Krugman’s a good choice, and congratulations to him.
*ahem* Finland is not in Scandinavia, but it is Nordic. They get very upset if you get it wrong.
I do like your description of the prize as a “pseudo-Nobel” – it was made up by a wunch of bankers.
Not to jinx things, but have there ever been any Cabinet secretaries with Nobel Prizes? I’m too lazy to look it up myself…
Kissinger. Possibly not the ideal precedent.
Also George Marshall, Frank Kellogg, Elihu Root, and Cordell Hull, but they all won the prize after serving in the cabinet. They (and Kissinger) all won the Peace prize – I do not see an Economics prize winner whom I recall serving in the cabinet, though I might well have missed one. I didn’t bother checking the other prizes.
Finland is not in Scandinavia, but it is Nordic.
Yes.
They get very upset if you get it wrong.
Not really. Finland is only too happy to be considered part of anything that isn’t Russia.