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David Card’s first day as a Nobel winner

“The message said the call was coming from Sweden,” he said just after winning the award. “I have a couple of friends who would pull a stunt like that.”

By Public Affairs, Public Affairs

David Card poses for a selfie with a student in his office at the Center for Labor Economics on the day of his 2021 Nobel Prize win.
Card poses for a selfie with Jessie Mahadumrongkul, an undergraduate majoring in economics, at Card's office in the campus's Center for Labor Economics. Card is renowned for his commitment to teaching and advising students. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)

October 12, 2021

UC Berkeley’s David Card is best known for pioneering studies that questioned the prevailing assumptions about the impact of immigration on native-born U.S. workers and the effect of minimum wage. (UC Berkeley video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Alan Toth)

UC Berkeley professor David Card learned early Monday morning at his family’s home in Santa Rosa that he had won the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. At first, he thought it was a practical joke being played by mischievous colleagues. He had just arrived after a day of travel from a family event near, Guelph, Ontario, in Canada. The initial call from the Nobel committee came to his family’s home in Berkeley, and a voice message was forwarded to Santa Rosa.

“The message said the call was coming from Sweden,” he said just after winning the award. “I have a couple of friends who would pull a stunt like that.”

He soon realized the call was no joke and kicked off a whirlwind visit to campus featuring a press conference, visit to his office and celebratory meetings with students.

Read more about Card’s remarkable win: