“Lessons of history are almost completely useless!”
Joel Mokyr received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in Stockholm on Wednesday – but visited IVA beforehand. Watch the film where Joel Mokyr and IVA’s President Sylvia Schwaag Serger, both professors of economic history, meet for a conversation about technology and growth.
In a conversation at IVA on 7 December, Joel Mokyr spoke about how fundamentally different the era we live in today is compared with the past.
“On every dimension you can think of; life today, on this planet, is so radically different than what it has been in the past, that lessons of history are almost completely useless! The number of examples is essentially infinite.”
Joel Mokyr, Professor, Northwestern University
Joel Mokyr, awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2025, is honoured for his groundbreaking research into the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress. His work has been pivotal in deepening our understanding of how innovation, technology and institutions interact to drive sustainable economic development – and how societies that remain open to new ideas can continue to grow even in times of upheaval.