Leonid Hurwicz
Leonid Hurwicz received the 2007 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
- Leonid Hurwicz [1]
- Full name
- Leonid Hurwicz [2]
- Birth date
- 1917-08-21 [2]
- Birthplace
- Moscow, Russia [2]
- Education
- Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw; Harvard University; University of Chicago; University of Warsaw; London School of Economics and Political Science; Graduate Institute of International Studies [3]
- Fields / occupation
- mathematician; economist; university teacher [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 2007 [2]
- Research recognized
- for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory [2]
- Prize share
- 1/3 [2]
- Affiliation at the award
- University of Minnesota [2]
- Death date
- 2008-06-24 [2]
- Institutions in career record
- University of Chicago; University of Minnesota; Illinois Institute of Technology [3]
Research, education and career background
Leonid Hurwicz (Polish pronunciation: [lɛˈɔɲit ˈxurvitʂ]; August 21, 1917 – June 24, 2008) was a Polish–American economist and mathematician, known for his work in game theory and mechanism design. He originated the concept of incentive compatibility, and showed how desired outcomes can be achieved by using incentive compatible mechanism design. Hurwicz shared the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (with Eric Maskin and Roger Myerson) for his seminal work on mechanism design. Hurwicz was one of the oldest Nobel Laureates, having received the prize at the age of 90. [4]
Hurwicz was educated and grew up in Poland, and became a refugee in the United States after Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. In 1941, Hurwicz worked as a research assistant for Paul Samuelson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Oskar Lange at the University of Chicago. He was a research associate for the Cowles Commission between 1942 and 1946. In 1946 he became an associate professor of economics at Iowa State College. Hurwicz joined the University of Minnesota in 1951, becoming Regents' Professor of Economics in 1969, and Curtis L. Carlson Professor of Economics in 1989. He was Regents' Professor of Economics (Emeritus) at the University of Minnesota when he died in 2008. [4]
Hurwicz was among the first economists to recognize the value of game theory and was a pioneer in its application. Interactions of individuals and institutions, markets and trade are analyzed and understood today using the models Hurwicz developed. [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — Leonid Hurwicz, 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 2007 and lists University of Minnesota 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 Leonid Hurwicz receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 2007. [2]
Which institution was Leonid Hurwicz affiliated with at the time of the Economic Sciences award?
University of Minnesota. This is the award-time affiliation. [2]
Leonid Hurwicz 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 — Leonid Hurwicz (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.