Douglass C. North
Douglass C. North received the 1993 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
- Douglass C. North [1]
- Full name
- Douglass C. North [2]
- Birth date
- 1920-11-05 [2]
- Birthplace
- Cambridge, MA, USA [2]
- Education
- University of California, Berkeley; Ashbury College; Choate Rosemary Hall [3]
- Fields / occupation
- economist; historian; university teacher; economic historian [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 1993 [2]
- Research recognized
- for having renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institutional change [2]
- Prize share
- 1/2 [2]
- Affiliation at the award
- Washington University [2]
- Death date
- 2015-11-23 [2]
- Institutions in career record
- Washington University in St. Louis; University of Cambridge [3]
Research, education and career background
Douglass Cecil North (November 5, 1920 – November 23, 2015) was an American economist known for his work in economic history. Along with Robert Fogel, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1993. In the words of the Nobel Committee, North and Fogel "renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institutional change." [4]
North helped popularize cliometrics and was later an influential figure in New Institutional Economics, which emphasizes the impact of institutions on economic behaviors and outcomes. North argued, "Institutions provide the incentive structure of an economy; as that structure evolves, it shapes the direction of economic change towards growth, stagnation, or decline." Rational and wealth-maximizing individuals lack complete information and have difficulties monitoring and enforcing agreements. Institutions can provide information and reduce transaction costs, thus encouraging economic activity. [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — Douglass North, 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 1993 and lists Washington University as the affiliation at the time. [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
Source-supported connections
Frequently asked questions
When did Douglass C. North receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 1993. [2]
Which institution was Douglass C. North affiliated with at the time of the Economic Sciences award?
Washington University. This is the award-time affiliation. [2]
Douglass C. North connection map
Select a node to inspect the relationship and source.
Links retain their source-specific meaning. Award-time affiliations and links to related reading are not claims about current appointments or economic causation.
Sources and review dates
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Nobel Prize — official biography and award record ↗
- Wikidata background facts (CC0) ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — Douglass North (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.