For Paul Milgrom, the 30,000-foot view is critically important. Economists often "do brilliant technical work about a problem nobody cares about," he says. "That's not always a bad thing, but there are plenty of problems in the world that need solving. I want to make sure we are also constantly thinking about, and working on, issues that people do care about."
Milgrom's drive to apply practical solutions to real-world challenges is at the center of his groundbreaking ideas and research over the last 40 years. His work has touched almost every facet of the field of microeconomics. And his roles as a teacher and mentor have been key to his career as one of the world's leading economists.