Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford, both American-born economists, win the 2026 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces the laureates in Stockholm, citing their work on “microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation” and on models that help governments and central banks respond to economic shocks.

Across coverage, outlets describe decades of research that build “ground-up” frameworks used in policy analysis worldwide, including models used by central banks and finance ministries. These models aim to improve how authorities understand economic fluctuations and evaluate how monetary and fiscal policy affects households and businesses during disruption. The Academy and the Nobel committee highlight that the work helps “smooth out” economic peaks and troughs, with examples including energy crises and sudden changes in household consumption.

Reuters and others also note remarks from John Hassler, chair of the prize committee, and Woodford’s surprise after learning he was selected. Several reports add context about the prize itself—officially the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel—its presentation alongside other Nobel categories, and this year’s prize money.