Tore Ellingsen and Magnus Johannessen with diploma on stage at the award ceremony
Photo Markus Marcetic

The 2015 Söderberg Prize for research in behavioral economics

The Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien has decided to award the 2015 Söderberg Prize in Economic Sciences to Tore Ellingsen and Magnus Johannesson, both at the Stockholm School of Economics, for their joint and influential work in the field of behavioral economics.

Behavioral economics is a relatively new field of research at the interface between economics and psychology. Among other things, it examines the driving forces behind so-called prosocial behavior, i.e. the fact that individuals often act in a way that seems to conflict with narrow self-interest. The results have implications for how reward and control systems are designed in companies and organizations.

Ellingsen and Johannesson are leading researchers in the field of behavioral economics. Their research includes both purely theoretical contributions and empirical studies based on controlled experiments. In a series of joint studies, they have shown that the assumptions of traditional economic theory about "economic man" often need to be supplemented with non-monetary incentives such as altruism, fairness and social reputation.

In addition to their joint work in behavioral economics, Ellingsen and Johannesson have also made important research contributions in other areas, including the economic costs of monopoly, bargaining as an evolutionary process, and wage setting and efficiency in firms. Johannesson has an extensive output in the field of health economics and in recent years he has pioneered research on how economic behavior is affected by genetic factors.

The prize of SEK 1 million was awarded at a ceremony at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Academy of Sciences on May 26, 2015.

Magnus Johannesson during the award lecture. Photo Markus Marcetic.
Tore Ellingsen
Professor Tore Ellingsen (left) PhD 1991 at the London School of Economics. He holds the Ragnar Söderberg Chair in Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. Professor Ellingsen is also a foreign member of the Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien.

Tore Ellingsen, HHS
Magnus Johannesson
Professor Magnus Johannesson (right) PhD 1991 at Linköping University. Professor of Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. Johannesson is a member of the Royal. Academy of Sciences.

Magnus Johannesson, HHS