Richard H. Thaler
Richard H. Thaler received the 2017 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
- Richard H. Thaler [1]
- Full name
- Richard H. Thaler [2]
- Birth date
- 1945-09-12 [2]
- Birthplace
- East Orange, NJ, USA [2]
- Education
- Case Western Reserve University; Newark Academy; University of Rochester [3]
- Fields / occupation
- economist [3]
- Prize
- Economic Sciences · 2017 [2]
- Research recognized
- for his contributions to behavioural economics [2]
- Prize share
- 1 [2]
- Affiliation at the award
- University of Chicago [2]
- Institutions in career record
- University of Chicago (1995–end not recorded); MIT Sloan School of Management; Santa Clara University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology [3]
Research, education and career background
Richard H. Thaler (; born September 12, 1945) is an American economist and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In 2015, Thaler was president of the American Economic Association. [4]
Thaler is a theorist in behavioral economics. He has collaborated with Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, and others in further defining that field. In 2018, he was elected a member in the National Academy of Sciences. [4]
In 2017, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics. In its announcement, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences stated that his "contributions have built a bridge between the economic and psychological analyses of individual decision-making. His empirical findings and theoretical insights have been instrumental in creating the new and rapidly expanding field of behavioral economics." [4]
Selected introductory text by Wikipedia contributors — Richard Thaler, 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 2017 and lists University of Chicago 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
Birth date recorded in the official Nobel biography. [2]
Education period at University of Rochester began (background record). [3]
Education period at University of Rochester ended (background record). [3]
Education period at University of Rochester ended (background record). [3]
Affiliation at University of Chicago began (background record). [3]
Economic Sciences award announced. [2]
Source-supported connections
Frequently asked questions
When did Richard H. Thaler receive the prize in Economic Sciences?
The official award record gives the year as 2017. [2]
Which institution was Richard H. Thaler affiliated with at the time of the Economic Sciences award?
University of Chicago. This is the award-time affiliation. [2]
Richard H. Thaler 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 — Richard Thaler (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.