The American Economics Association (AEA) announced on Tuesday, May 2, that it had awarded French economist Gabriel Zucman the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal – which distinguishes American economists or economists working in the United States under the age of 40. – for his work on tax evasion and rising inequality.
"[Gabriel] Zucman's research provides some of the best evidence regarding the importance of tax evasion, forcing economists to recognize that the phenomenon is larger than originally thought," the AEA said in a statement. . Its work has made it possible to "quantify the importance of tax evasion and to measure the increase in the highest incomes as well as inequalities in wealth", added the association, which underlines that its prize "rewards Gabriel Zucman in recognition of these impressive achievements".
"Thank you to the AEA for this incredible honor, reacted Gabriel Zucman on Twitter, I am infinitely grateful to the many co-authors, mentors, colleagues and students who taught me so much and made this research possible. The French economist joins a prestigious list of award-winning colleagues, such as Joseph Stiglitz or Paul Krugman, but also, and more recently, the French Emmanuel Saez then Esther Duflo, who received the John Bates Clark medal respectively in 2009 and 2010.
Doctor in economics, Mr. Zucman conducted all of his studies in France, at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, the Paris School of Economics and then at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Siences Sociales. His thesis focused on the distribution of fortunes in the world and was carried out under the supervision of Thomas Piketty. He joined the London School of Economics as a teacher and then, since 2019, the American University of Berkeley, California.
In a recent interview with Mediapart, Mr. Zucman felt that the protest against the pension reform in France also highlighted "a very strong demand for tax justice", judging that "our current tax system [presented] grave injustices", with lower effective tax rates for the wealthiest French.
