Economist Özge Öner Receives Prize for Human Flourishing (mänsklig blomstring)

Özge Öner has been awarded this year’s Prize for Human Flourishing (in Swedish: mänsklig blomstring) in honor of Nils Karlson. Dr. Öner is an Associate Professor in Spatial Economics and Real Estate at the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow at Sidney Sussex College.

The prize was established in 2022 to honor the founder and former CEO of the Ratio research institute, Nils Karlson. It is awarded annually to distinguished individuals who, through research and public engagement, have contributed to a deeper understanding of the societal and economic conditions for human development and flourishing.

Özge Öner received her PhD in Economics from Jönköping International Business School in 2014 with the dissertation “Retail Location.” Since then, she has held prominent positions at, among others, the Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), HUI Research, and the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Spatial Economics (CEnSE). Her research focuses on geographical aspects of entrepreneurship, migration, segregation, retail trade, and political geography, and she has published numerous influential articles in these fields.

Her previous accolades include the Young Researcher Award from the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum (2019), the Ashby Prize for the most innovative article in Environment and Planning A (2021), the Handelsbanken Wallander Postdoctoral Scholarship (2015), and the Young Investigator Award in Italy (2018).

In addition to her academic work, Dr. Öner is actively engaged in public debate. She has written regular columns for the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet for several years, participated in conferences across Europe, and published policy-relevant reports, including the ESO report Goda grannar (Good Neighbors) (2024). She has also served as an advisor to the U.S. State Department on issues concerning Turkey’s economy and is a frequent media commentator.
The award committee particularly highlights her ability to combine advanced research with active social engagement, noting that she has successfully translated theoretical insights into practical policy advice both nationally and internationally in an innovative way.

– Through her research and broad engagement, Özge Öner has made an exemplary contribution to understanding how economic and social factors shape the conditions for human flourishing. She is a very worthy recipient of this year’s prize, the award committee states in its citation.

The prize was presented on Tuesday, April 8, in connection with Ratio’s annual meeting at Näringslivets Hus in Stockholm.