Microeconomist John List wins NABE Adam Smith Award

Microeconomist John List has been awarded the 2022 Adam Smith Award by the National Association of Business Economics.

He is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, and in recent decades his research has focused on using field experiments to address the inner workings of markets.

Earlier this year, List was named as Walmart’s first ever chief economist, and previously served as chief economist for both Uber and Lyft. His new book The Voltage Effect made the bestsellers lists of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Over the course of his field research he has investigated the effects of incentives schemes on market equilibria and allocations and on early childhood education and interventions. Most recently he has investigated the gender earnings gap in the gig economy.

The Adam Smith Award is awarded annually to an economist who demonstrates “leadership in the profession and the application of economic principles and knowledge in the workplace and policy arenas.” 

Previous recipients of the award include Karl Brunner, George J. Stigler, James M. Buchanan, Milton Friedman, and Gary S. Becker.