IZA Prize goes to Gary S. Fields

IZA World of Labor author Gary S. Fields has been awarded this year’s IZA Prize in Labor Economics.

The Cornell University professor has received the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions on the importance of efficient labor markets and stable employment in poverty reduction and economic development in low- and middle-income countries.

Fields has revolutionized traditional economic thinking about measuring development, focusing on poverty, inequality, and income mobility as key economic indices. His book, Working Hard, Working Poor: A Global Journey (2012), illustrates that global poverty is a problem of low-quality employment, as opposed to a matter of high unemployment rates.

In addition to development economics, Fields has worked on topics such as pensions, social insurance and welfare, and workplace organization. Alongside his career as a professor, he has extensive consulting experience for organizations including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Labor Organization, the United Nations, and several national governments.

The IZA Prize in Labor Economics honors the outstanding contributions of a scholar in the field of labor economics. It aims to celebrate research that tries to find answers to the important labor market policy questions of our time.

Fields’ article for IZA World of Labor focuses on how policy can help self-employed workers in developing countries to boost their earnings above the poverty level.