Accidental Blogger

Paul Krugman has won this year’s economics Nobel Prize.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/paul-krugman-wins-economics-nobel/?hp

(Thanks for the link, Ruchira.)

In a charmingly self-deprecating interview on the New York Times:

“For economists, this is a validation but not news. We know what
each other have been up to,” Mr. Krugman said. “For readers of the
column, maybe they will read a little more carefully when I’m being
economistic, or maybe have a little more tolerance when I’m being
boring.”

He said that he does not expect his critics to let him off any easier because of his new accolade, though.

“I think we’ve learned this when we see Joe Stiglitz writing,” Mr.
Krugman said, referring to the winner of the economics Nobel in 2001.
“I haven’t noticed him getting an easy time. People just say, ‘Sure,
he’s a great Nobel laureate and he’s very smart, but he still doesn’t
know what he’s talking about in this situation.’ I’m sure I’ll get the
same thing.”

Update:

Despite Ruchira’s and my suspicion that his recent prominence in denouncing the set of events that led to the market meltdown played a decisive role in confirming his win of the Nobel prize, the prize committee indicated otherwise:

Perhaps better known as a columnist than an economist to the public, Krugman has also come out forcefully against John McCain during the economic meltdown, saying the Republican presidential candidate
is "more frightening now than he was a few weeks ago." Krugman
(pronounced KROOG-man) also has derided the Republicans as becoming
"the party of stupid."

Tore Ellingsen, a member of the prize committee, acknowledged that
Krugman was an "opinion maker" but added that he was honored on the
merits of his economic research, not his political commentary.

"We disregard everything except for the scientific merits," Ellingsen told The Associated Press.

The 55-year-old American economist was the lone winner of the 10
million kronor ($1.4 million) award and the latest in a string of
American researchers to be honored. It was only the second time since
2000 that a single laureate won the prize, which is typically shared by
two or three researchers.