A life in context
The person behind the prize
Mokyr is an economic historian whose work investigates the relationship between knowledge and material progress. Born in the Netherlands, he developed an academic career in the United States. His research asks why useful inventions eventually became a sustained process rather than isolated episodes.
The contribution
He explained historical conditions that let scientific understanding and practical skills reinforce one another. Openness to new ideas and the circulation of useful knowledge help explain sustained technological progress.
The idea in plain language
An invention can improve life once. Sustained growth requires a continuing flow of better methods and products. Mokyr investigated the historical conditions that let scientific understanding and practical know-how keep reinforcing each other.
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