IZA Prize in Labor Economics 2004 goes to Edward Lazear

Official Award Ceremony in Berlin - October 25, 2004 In a festive atmosphere, around 200 invited guests from Germany and abroad witnessed the official award ceremony of the IZA Prize in Labor Economics 2004, which was presented to the U.S. economist Edward P. Lazear (Stanford University). Wolfgang Clement (Federal Minister of Economics and Labor) praised the laureate's contributions to practical labor market research and emphasized the prominent role of IZA in providing policy advice on labor market issues. The subsequent panel discussion on the prospects of German labor market reform included such high-profile discussants as Edward Lazear, Wolfgang Clement, Friedrich Merz (Vice Chairman, CDU/CSU Parliamentary Faction), Horst Neumann (Board Member for Human Resources, AUDI), IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann, and Florian Gerster (former State Minister), who moderated the debate.			Klaus F. Zimmermann, Klaus Zumwinkel, Edward Lazear, Uschi Backes-Gellner
The laudation for Edward Lazear was held by Uschi Backes-Gellner (University of Zurich), who praised Lazear as a driving force behind personnel economics. Lazear himself stressed in his acceptance speech the strong influence of personnel economics on entrepreneurial practices and strategies. He applauded IZA's decision to establish a new research program in this field and to appoint Armin Falk, an expert in behavioral an personnel economics, as IZA Research Director. During the event, IZA also announced that Florian Gerster will assume an advisory function at IZA, in which he will coordinate an external network of influential policy makers and advisors. The following documents are available for download: Award Statement | Laudation by Uschi Backes-Gellner) | Acceptance Speech by Edward Lazear | Press Coverage (PDF, 2.7MB) | Photo Gallery

Edward Lazear

Edward Lazear, 56, is the third American to receive the IZA Prize (see list of laureates). His analytical and empirical research has contributed significantly to the understanding of the labor market. His pioneering work has helped establish personnel economics as an independent and well-respected field of research. For more information please view: - IZA Press Release (PDF) - Stanford University Press Statement