Princeton economist wins Nobel for research into poverty

By Here & Now
Angus Deaton gestures at a gathering at Princeton University after it was announced that he won the Nobel prize in economics for improving understanding of poverty and how people in poor countries respond to changes in economic policy Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in Princeton, N.J. Deaton, 69, won the 8 million Swedish kronor
Angus Deaton gestures at a gathering at Princeton University after it was announced that he won the Nobel prize in economics for improving understanding of poverty and how people in poor countries respond to changes in economic policy Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in Princeton, N.J. Deaton, 69, won the 8 million Swedish kronor about $975,000 prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for work that the award committee said has had “immense importance for human welfare, not least in poor countries.” AP Photo/Mel Evans
Angus Deaton gestures at a gathering at Princeton University after it was announced that he won the Nobel prize in economics for improving understanding of poverty and how people in poor countries respond to changes in economic policy Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in Princeton, N.J. Deaton, 69, won the 8 million Swedish kronor
Angus Deaton gestures at a gathering at Princeton University after it was announced that he won the Nobel prize in economics for improving understanding of poverty and how people in poor countries respond to changes in economic policy Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in Princeton, N.J. Deaton, 69, won the 8 million Swedish kronor about $975,000 prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for work that the award committee said has had “immense importance for human welfare, not least in poor countries.” AP Photo/Mel Evans

Princeton economist wins Nobel for research into poverty

By Here & Now
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Angus Deaton gestures at a gathering at Princeton University after it was announced that he won the Nobel prize in economics for improving understanding of poverty and how people in poor countries respond to changes in economic policy Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in Princeton, N.J. Deaton, 69, won the 8 million Swedish kronor (about $975,000) prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for work that the award committee said has had

The Nobel Prize in economics was awarded today to a Princeton economist from Scotland for his research into poverty. Angus Deaton told reporters on a conference call that he was pleased the committee decided to award work that concerns the poor people of the world.

“There are enormous numbers of people in the world – the World Bank has just come out with recent estimates of about 700 million people – who live in something close to destitution,” he said.

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson looks at Deaton’s work and its real-world impact withDerek Thompson of The Atlantic.

— via Here & Now