Rise of the Kniesians: The professor-student network of Nobel laureates in economics

TL;DR

This paper maps the professor-student network of Nobel laureates in economics, revealing a dominant family tree centered around Karl Knies and highlighting the influence of Harvard and other institutions.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed network analysis of Nobel laureates in economics, identifying key individuals and institutions shaping the field's academic lineage.

Findings

74 of 79 Nobel laureates belong to one family tree

Harvard is the most central university in the network

Few classical and neo-classical economists have notable descendants

Abstract

The paper presents the professor-student network of Nobel laureates in economics. 74 of the 79 Nobelists belong to one family tree. The remaining 5 belong to 3 separate trees. There are 350 men in the graph, and 4 women. Karl Knies is the central-most professor, followed by Wassily Leontief. No classical and few neo-classical economists have left notable descendants. Harvard is the central-most university, followed by Chicago and Berlin. Most candidates for the Nobel prize belong to the main family tree, but new trees may arise for the students of Terence Gorman and Denis Sargan.