Paul Krugman Wins Nobel

Princeton economist and New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman has won the Nobel Prize in economics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences gave him the $1.4 million award in recognition for his work on a new theory regarding free trade. His work "thereby integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography," the Academy said, according to the Associated Press.

Krugman's whose most-recent Commonwealth Club speech was on October 30, 2007, as the first speaker in the A-Ha Speaker Series, presented by The Club and Orrick. In that speech, he spoke about the future of the middle class in the changing economic world, a topic that could be even more relevant today in light of recent stock market meltdowns. See the above video for the Fora recording of that speech. Or you can listen to streaming audio of that speech.

And if you want to go back in time nearly five years, you can listen to streaming audio of his January 6, 2004, speech to The Commonwealth Club, entitled "From Heroes to Scandals: The Collapse of Fiscal Responsibility."