Nominees of the Global Economy Prize announced

This year, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, together with its partners, the state capital Kiel and the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is awarding the Global Economy Prize for the 17th time.

The following award winners are to be honored for their services to efficient location policy and for pioneering a cosmopolitan, free-market, and social society:

• Dr. Dalia Grybauskaitė, former President of the Republic of Lithuania, and former European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget; Category: Politics.
• Hans-Julius Ahlmann, Managing Partner of the ACO Group; Category: Business.
• Prof. Ufuk Akcigit, Ph.D., University of Chicago; Category: Economics.

The award ceremony of the Global Economy Prize will take place during the Kieler Woche on Sunday, June 19, 2022, at the Haus der Wirtschaft of the IHK zu Kiel. All award winners are expected to attend in person.

The award winners are proposed from the network of the Kiel Institute and finally selected and nominated by the jury of the Global Economy Prize. This jury consists of, among others, the Vice President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy Stefan Kooths, Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer, and the Vice President of the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Commerce and Industry Knud Hansen. In accordance with their profession, the above-mentioned members take care for the award winner in the category of politics, business, and (economic) science.

Commenting on the nomination in the politics category, Kämpfer said: "Dalia Grybauskaitė has distinguished herself as an outstanding budget politician, resolute crisis manager, responsible president, and committed European. She has successfully led Lithuania out of the financial crisis and integrated it into European Union and also NATO. Her foresight and assertiveness are admirable."

Hansen said of the upcoming award winner in the business category: "Hans-Julius Ahlmann is a strong entrepreneurial personality and a committed philanthropist. He made the ACO Group a global player, even the world market leader in drainage technology. Few companies give as much back to their location as Ahlmann's ACO Group, for example through the internationally acclaimed NordArt in Büdelsdorf, which he initiated."

Kooths gave the following reasons for the nomination in the science category: "Ufuk Akcigit's research on economic growth, innovation, and business dynamics is attracting worldwide attention and provides concrete bases for policy decisions. For example, he helps to understand why the economy in eastern Germany continues to lag behind that of western Germany to this day. Ufuk Akcigit is a rising star in economics."

Further information about the Global Economy Prize and the nominated award winners.