Alum Peter Howitt, MA’69 (Economics), has joined the ranks of Nobel laureates. The longtime Western faculty member was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics for his ground-breaking work on innovation-driven economic growth.
He shares the honour with Joel Mokyr and Philippe Aghion for their influential work advancing the theory of creative destruction—how innovation drives progress by replacing outdated technologies and industries.
Howitt taught at Western from 1972 to 1996 and says his time on campus was pivotal in shaping his career. In a press conference held by Brown University, where he is professor emeritus, Howitt reflected on his Canadian roots and the influence of Western on his career. He described the university’s economics department as a lively, collaborative environment, full of scholars eager to share ideas, comment on each other’s papers and organize conferences.
The atmosphere at Western was the one that really taught me how to be a productive scholar and I’m forever grateful for that.
“Working in Canada was where I really cut my teeth as an economist,” said Howitt. “The atmosphere at Western was the one that really taught me how to be a productive scholar and I’m forever grateful for that.”
Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, MA’84, PhD’89, reflected on Howitt’s talent as a teacher in an interview with CBC. Macklem, who was one of Howitt’s students at Western in 1984, recalled: “I can still remember a few ‘aha’ moments in his classes where, because of his explanation, I could understand something that the day before seemed impenetrable.”
Western President Alan Shepard calls the recognition “a proud moment for the university and our alumni,” noting much of Howitt’s most significant research was conducted at Western. “His pioneering work has transformed how we think about innovation and growth.”
