Jon Elster
2016
Jon Elster wins the 2016 Johan Skytte Prize for “for incisive, penetrating, and unceasing drive to examine and reexamine that which explains human behavior.”
The Norwegian philosopher and political theorist won the Johan Skytte Prize in 2016. With a background as a scholar in both Europe and the US, Elster is today Robert K. Merton Professor Emeritus of the Social Sciences.
Elster's pioneering research has explored the roles of rationality and irrationality in human behavior, the impact of social norms, and the interplay between emotions and decision-making. His influential works, including "Ulysses and the Sirens," "Sour Grapes," and "The Cement of Society," have significantly shaped contemporary political science.
Illustration by Anna Ileby