<p>In 2011, Tom Sargent and Chris Sims were jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial prize for empirical work.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2011 to Thomas J. Sargent and Christopher A. Sims "for their empirical research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Dr. Sargent's contribution was related to the use of structural macroeconometrics in policy and analysis and Dr. Sims' contribution was to the use of vector autoregressions (VAR) to analyze temporary changes in policy and other factors.</p>

<p>Source: <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2011/press.html" rel="noreferrer">Nobel Prize Website</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-06T13:57:15.150Z
One might argue that Sims won this award for a theoretical contribution that greatly improved our ability to engage in empirical macroeconomic research.
123
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-31T21:24:27.933Z
2015-05-31T21:24:27.933Z
cc7768
<p>Did any recipients of the economics Nobel prize receive their prize for work that was primarily or substantially empirical (rather than theoretical) in nature?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-31T11:34:50.653Z
Fama, Hansen, Shiller (2013) is a recent example, where Fama and Shiller were mostly awarded for their empirical work.
FooBar
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-31T13:13:14.043Z
I would say that the work of the behaviorists is also empirical, and then you have to include Kahneman and Smith (2002).
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2002/
Giskard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-31T14:01:06.820Z
Sargent and Sims.  Fogel.  Klein.  Kuznets.
Steven Landsburg
<econometrics>
Nobel prize for empirical work
Ubiquitous
# Nobel prize for empirical work

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-31)

Did any recipients of the economics Nobel prize receive their prize for work that was primarily or substantially empirical (rather than theoretical) in nature?

**Tags:** econometrics
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Fama, Hansen, Shiller (2013) is a recent example, where Fama and Shiller were mostly awarded for their empirical work.  
> **username_2**: I would say that the work of the behaviorists is also empirical, and then you have to include Kahneman and Smith (2002). http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2002/  
> **username_3**: Sargent and Sims.  Fogel.  Klein.  Kuznets.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-05-31. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

In 2011, Tom Sargent and Chris Sims were jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial prize for empirical work.

> The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2011 to Thomas J. Sargent and Christopher A. Sims "for their empirical research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy."

Dr. Sargent's contribution was related to the use of structural macroeconometrics in policy and analysis and Dr. Sims' contribution was to the use of vector autoregressions (VAR) to analyze temporary changes in policy and other factors.

Source: [Nobel Prize Website](http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/2011/press.html)

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: One might argue that Sims won this award for a theoretical contribution that greatly improved our ability to engage in empirical macroeconomic research.  

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