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“Get up, you need to get up! You’ve won the Nobel Prize.” That’s how James Robinson discovered he was a 2024 economic sciences laureate, as his wife, Maria Angélica Bautista, woke him up. In this brief call with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith he talks about the root causes of poverty and how to build the types of political structures that enhance prosperity: “Inclusive institutions are not created by well-meaning elites. They’re created by people who fight for their rights.”

Prof. James A. Robinson of the University of Chicago has been awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences honored Robinson, the Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and University Professor in the Harris School of Public Policy and the Department of Political Science, for his research on “how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” He shared this year’s prize with Profs. Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson of MIT. Speaking Oct. 12 at his home, Robinson reflected on the impact of his groundbreaking work, including how honored he was to be recognized. “It’s a little bit emotional … It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m very happy and delighted.”

Prof. James A. Robinson 2024 Nobel Prize News Conference

Prof. James A. Robinson, the Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and University Professor at UChicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and the Department of Political Science, has been awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024, for his groundbreaking research studying “how institutions are formed and affect prosperity."

Robinson was honored at an Oct. 14 news conference at UChicago’s David Rubenstein Forum. The event included remarks from UChicago President Paul Alivisatos and Prof. Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, dean of the Harris School of Public Policy. He is the 101st scholar associated with UChicago to be named a Nobel laureate. Robinson is the institute director of UChicago’s Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.

The Pearson Institute hosted Senior Economist Ana Maria Tribin, who spoke about the 2024 edition of the Women, Business, and the Law (WBL) initiative. The WBL initiative has been a cornerstone in the quest to dismantle legal impediments to women's economic empowerment across 190 economies. This initiative meticulously scrutinizes laws and regulations, championing reforms to eradicate discriminatory practices.

The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts hosted a discussion featuring Colombian Journalist Juanita Velez and Pearson Faculty Affiliate Raul Sanchez de la Sierra who discussed Velez's new book "One War Later." It is a journalistic book exploring what happened in Colombia after the peace agreement between the FARC-EP and the Colombian Government through five characters Velez followed for several years. They discussed the lives and emotions after the 2016 Peace Agreement between FARC-EP Rebels and the Colombian State.