Johanna Rickne and Olle Folke Receive the 2023 Assar Lindbeck Medal
Professor Johanna Rickne (Stockholm University) and Professor Olle Folke (Uppsala University) have received the 2023 Assar Lindbeck Medal for their groundbreaking research in gender equality and political economy. “It’s a joyous event to receive this award!” says Johanna Rickne.
Johanna Rickne, Olle Folke – and the Assar Lindbeck Medal. Photo: Private
SOFI’s Johanna Rickne, together with Olle Folke (Uppsala University), has received the 2023 Assar Lindbeck Medal. The prize, awarded by the Swedish Economic Association, is one of Sweden’s most prestigious honors in economics.
“It’s a joyous event to receive this award!” says Johanna Rickne, professor of economics at Stockholm University.
Rickne and Folke have jointly contributed groundbreaking research in gender equality and political economy. By utilizing unique data on candidates in Swedish elections, they have provided new insights into politicians’ backgrounds, representativeness, and competence. Their work includes notable studies such as “Who Becomes a Politician” (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2017) and “Gender Quotas and the Crisis of the Mediocre Man” (American Economic Review, 2017).
Their research has not only had a significant impact within academia but has also received considerable attention in international media outlets like CNN, Le Monde, The New York Times, and The Economist.
The prize honors Assar Lindbeck’s multifaceted and pioneering contributions to economic research and is awarded every other year to a researcher under 45 working in Sweden who has made a significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. The prize committee for the 2023 Assar Lindbeck Medal consisted of Professor Olof Johansson-Stenman (chair), University of Gothenburg; Professor Lena Edlund, Columbia University; and Professor David Strömberg, Stockholm University.
Labour economics is a very broad research field. In addition to research on labour market outcomes, such as wages and employment, the AME unit studies both elementary and higher education, health, taxes and income transfers, politics, crime and punishment, and gender equality.
