Janet Currie, the Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and Public Affairs and the Co-Director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), has been honored as a 2024 Clarivate Citation Laureate by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). The award, based on the levels of citations of Currie’s work in trusted journals, recognizes researchers whose contributions are considered “Nobel class.”
Currie is among 22 distinguished scholars from around the globe to receive this accolade. The selection process relies on extensive publication and citation data to pinpoint influential researchers in Nobel Prize categories, including economics, physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine.
“Janet's recognition by ISI is a testament to her innovative and groundbreaking research,” said Amaney Jamal, dean of the School. “Her studies on child development and its economic implications had profound effect on public policy. This honor is further testament of her outstanding contributions to the field. Congratulations Janet!”
The Institute for Scientific Information acknowledged Currie for her “pioneering economic analysis of child development.”
Its Citation Laureate program has demonstrated an impressive ability to forecast Nobel Prize winners, with 75 Citation Laureates subsequently awarded a Nobel since 2002.
Currie's research methodology is characterized by its innovative approach to utilizing administrative data. She has developed novel techniques for identifying causal relationships between interventions and children's outcomes, often employing data linkages and natural experiments to evaluate large-scale social programs.
The impact of Currie's work extends beyond academia. Her research on public health insurance expansions for pregnant women and children played a crucial role in shaping the U.S. Affordable Care Act. Additionally, her studies on the effects of low-level pollution exposure during pregnancy have informed Environmental Protection Agency policies.
“This honor represents growing interest in the economics of families and children,” Currie said. “It's gratifying to see how this field has evolved, allowing us to influence broader conversations about societal well-being.”
Looking forward, Currie is delving into new areas of research, with a focus on adolescent development and mental health.
“Adolescence remains an understudied period,” she said. “There's a misconception that if early childhood interventions are missed, it's too late. I strongly disagree with this notion.”
As a leader in her field, Currie has mentored 46 Ph.D. students and seven post-doctoral fellows, fostering the next generation of researchers in this crucial area of economics.
Currie's work continues to break new ground, bridging disciplines and integrating insights from medicine and developmental psychology into economic analysis. Her ongoing research promises to further our understanding of child and youth development, with potentially far-reaching implications for policy and practice.