On behalf of the board of directors, I am pleased to announce that economist and former Progress Summit speaker Armine Yalnizyan is the recipient of the 2023 Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize.
The Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize recognizes outstanding academic contributions in political theory, social or economic history, human rights, and sociology. It acknowledges Ellen’s legacy of work on the history of political thought and her deep commitment to democracy. Ellen was an internationally renowned scholar, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and author of eight books published in a dozen languages. One of the most influential political theorists of her generation, Ellen was also passionately committed to making progress in the here and now. For her, in the deepest sense, democracy means “nothing more nor less than people’s power, or even the power of the common people or the poor.”
We chose to recognize Armine for her outstanding contributions to energizing young people’s democratic participation, her efforts to bring a progressive vision for society to the forefront, and her ability to parse and analyse economics and the economy for everyday Canadians. Armine’s leadership is historic. She is one of Canada’s most important economists, playing a vital role for progressive social change across the country. The work she has done, especially on inequality, deeply reflects Ellen’s values.
The Prize includes the opportunity to deliver the Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture, which will be delivered at Toronto Metropolitan University in the spring.
Please join me in congratulating Armine on her award.
About Armine Yalnizyan
Armine Yalnizyan is the Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers and a leading voice on economics in Canada. Much of her work examines the social and economic factors that determine our health and well being, including affordable housing, poverty, minimum wage, and basic services. Yalnizyan was active during the beginning of the pandemic in calling attention to the catastrophic effect COVID-19 had on women’s livelihoods, coining the term “she-cession”. She has served in a variety of senior roles in the Federal government, including on a task group on women in the economy and as a senior economic policy advisor to the federal Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada. She was senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Inequality Project.
About the Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize
Established by the Broadbent Institute in 2017 in honour of distinguished author and academic Professor Ellen Meiksins Wood. Recipients are chosen for work that is emblematic of Ellen’s two-fold belief that democracy is always fought for and secured from below, not conferred from above; and, that the egalitarian values of democracy are in ongoing conflict with the unequal outcomes of capitalism. Previous recipients include UK author and activist Paul Mason, US thinker Barbara Ehrenreich and legendary trade union leader Leo Gerard.