Prize Committees Steer Economics Fields

A new empirical study of Nobel prizes in economics (1969–2025) finds semi‑regular rotation across subfields and measurable effects from committee members’ preferences: networks matter little except for direct students/coauthors, and the committee composition shift after a key retirement changed outcomes. The result suggests prizes are not merely retrospective honors but active selectors that reallocate prestige across topics and people. — If prize selection systematically favors some fields or individuals, it shapes hiring, funding, and the direction of research—so transparency and committee composition become public‑interest issues.