Oliver E. Williamson
Oliver E. Williamson received the 2009 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
- Oliver E. Williamson [1]
- Full name
- Oliver E. Williamson [2]
- Birth date
- 1932-09-27 [2]
- Birthplace
- Superior, WI, USA [2]
- Education
- Carnegie Mellon University; MIT Sloan School of Management; Stanford Graduate School of Business; Superior High School; Tepper School of Business [3]
- Fields / occupation
- economist; university teacher [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 2009 [2]
- Research recognized
- for his analysis of economic governance, especially the boundaries of the firm [2]
- Prize share
- 1/2 [2]
- Affiliation at the award
- University of California [2]
- Death date
- 2020-05-21 [3]
- Institutions in career record
- University of California, Berkeley; Yale University; University of Pennsylvania [3]
Research, education and career background
Oliver Eaton Williamson (September 27, 1932 – May 21, 2020) was an American economist, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and recipient of the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, which he shared with Elinor Ostrom. [4]
His contributions to transaction cost economics and the theory of the firm have been influential in the social sciences, law and economics. Williamson described his work as "a blend of soft social science and abstract economic theory". [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — Oliver E. Williamson, 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 2009 and lists University of California 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 Oliver E. Williamson receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 2009. [2]
Which institution was Oliver E. Williamson affiliated with at the time of the Economic Sciences award?
University of California. This is the award-time affiliation. [2]
Oliver E. Williamson 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 — Oliver E. Williamson (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.