Gunnar Myrdal
Gunnar Myrdal received the 1974 prize in Economic Sciences. This profile brings together the official award record and attributed background on the economist’s work and career.
Personal and professional profile
- Name
- Gunnar Myrdal [1]
- Full name
- Gunnar Myrdal [2]
- Birth date
- 1898-12-06 [2]
- Birthplace
- Skattungbyn, Sweden [2]
- Education
- Stockholm University; Norra Real [3]
- Fields / occupation
- politician; economist; sociologist; university teacher [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 1974 [2]
- Research recognized
- Research on monetary theory, economic cycles, and the connections among economic, social and institutional systems. [2]
- Prize share
- 1/2 [2]
- Death date
- 1987-05-17 [2]
- Institutions in career record
- Stockholm School of Economics; Stockholm University [3]
Research, education and career background
Karl Gunnar Myrdal ( MUR-dahl, MEER-; Swedish: [ˈɡɵ̌nːar ˈmy̌ːɖɑːl]; 6 December 1898 – 17 May 1987) was a Swedish economist and sociologist. In 1974, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences along with Friedrich Hayek for "their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena." When his wife, Alva Myrdal, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982, they became the fourth ever married couple to have won Nobel Prizes, and the first and only to win independent of each other (versus a shared Nobel Prize by scientist spouses). [4]
Myrdal is best known in the United States for his study of race relations, which culminated in his 1944 book An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. The study was influential in the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. In Sweden, his work and political influence were important to the establishment of the Folkhemmet and the welfare state. [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — Gunnar Myrdal, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official facts are cited separately.
Award and academic affiliation
The official Nobel record dates the Economic Sciences award to 1974. [2]
An affiliation attached to an award describes that point in the person’s career; it does not establish a current appointment. [2]
Education and career timeline
Frequently asked questions
When did Gunnar Myrdal receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 1974. [2]
Sources and review dates
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Wikidata background facts (CC0) ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — Gunnar Myrdal (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.