173. Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2025 to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt:  How new technology can drive sustained growth

Abstract:

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2025 was awarded “for having explained innovation-driven economic growth” with one half to Joel Mokyr “for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress” and the other half jointly to Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt “for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction”.

The works underlying the prize are interesting (for me) for two reasons. First, they are accessible to prople outside economic sciences, offering a novel perspective on both the history of “industrial revolution” (Mokyr) – why it should be called revolution; and on the modern-day industrial growth dependence on successes and failures (Aghion and Howitt).

After presenting the Laureates’ achievements, I’ll discuss briefly how the findings may show light on the state of research and innovation in Poland

About the author:

Professor of physical sciences. In the years 1982-1993, he worked at the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, specializing in the theory of semiconductors, where he obtained a doctoral degree in physics, based on semiconductor theory.

From 1993 to 2012 he worked in the commercial sector as a member of the management team in several high-tech companies, both foreign and leading Polish IT companies. As part of these tasks, he managed sales teams, marketing, and the overall functioning of companies, including processes related to customer acquisition, implementation of solutions, innovative solutions,  as well as administrative tasks (HR, financial planning, etc.).

In 2009, he began research on the application of physics to describe complex social phenomena, which resulted in many publications and a habilitation obtained at the Warsaw University of Technology. Author of over 70 scientific papers (all in English), cited over 2250 times, Hirsch index 23 (according to Google Scholar). He obtained the habilitation degree for research achievements carried out outside official research institutions. In 2022 he has been awarded the full professor title, based on his works on application pf physics to understanding of social issues, including opinion dynamics, origins and spread of hate and misinformation and the growth of polarization.

In June 2012 joined the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) to activate the process of technology transfer and commercialization. He managed the Świerk Science and Technology Park project, and then he was its first Director. In 2017-2019, he held the post of Deputy Director of the National Center for Nuclear Research for Innovation and Implementation.

The experience gained over almost 20 years of work in commercial companies includes both practical skills in managing teams, financial planning and sales management, as well as understanding the decision-making process in market companies. This is necessary for effective cooperation between research units and entrepreneurs. This knowledge is complemented by an understanding of the methods, uncertainties and limitations inherent in research processes and the mechanisms of science in practice.

Between 2019 and 2025, he was the Director for Scientific Operations of the NOMATEN MAB Center of Excellence – one of the four original Polish winners of the prestigious Teaming for Excellence competitions of the Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe program and the MAB PLUS grant of the Foundation for Polish Science.

Paweł Sobkowicz, Sano Centre for Computational Medicine