Restorative History: Using the Nobel Lectures to Identify Hidden Women in Economic Thought

Abstract

Women’s contributions to the development of economic thought are often hidden overlooked. However, women who were cited by the laureates in economics were doing important research recognized at the highest level in the profession. I use the lectures from the award of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (“Nobel Prize”) from its inception in 1969 to 2009, when Elinor Ostrom was the first woman awarded the Prize. These lectures represent a novel data source to identify a substantial sample of women in the history of economic thought. I identified 125 women authors in 166 citations and 29 women editors in 34 citations. In total, 163 unique women are acknowledged in 199 unique citations. I provide a descriptive analysis of scholars and citations, including geographic origin, longevity, and field. I also classify contribution types within the discipline. The database includes both familiar names, such as Anna Schwartz and Janet Yellen, as well as less recognizable but still important names, like Elisabeth Landes and Julia Robinson. The Nobel lectures thus provide an important resource for identifying more women who made significant contributions to the development of economic thought.

Keywords: gender economics, history of thought, statistics