Jon Elster

Jon Elster
Jon Elster in 2010
Born	(1940-02-22) February 22, 1940 (age 84) Oslo, Norway
Parent(s)	Torolf Elster Magli Elster
Awards	Jean Nicod Prize (1997) John von Neumann Award (2002) Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science (2016)
Academic background
Education	École Normale Superieure (PhD)
Academic work
Discipline	Philosophy Political science Social sciences
Sub-discipline	Political theory Rational choice theory Philosophy of social science
School or tradition	Analytic philosophy Analytical Marxism September Group
Institutions	University of Paris University of Oslo University of Chicago Collège de France Columbia University

Jon Elster (/ˈɛlstər/; born 22 February 1940, Oslo) is a Norwegian philosopher and political theorist who holds the Robert K. Merton professorship of Social Science at Columbia University and since 2005 professor of social science at the Collège de France.

He received his PhD in social science from the École Normale Superieure in 1972. He has previously taught at the University of Paris, the University of Oslo, and the University of Chicago, where he became professor of political science in 1984.^[1] Since 1995, he has held the Robert K. Merton professorship of Social Science at Columbia University, as well as being professor of social science at the Collège de France since 2005.^[2][3]

Elster has authored works in the philosophy of social science and rational choice theory. He is also a notable proponent of analytical Marxism, and a critic of neoclassical economics and public choice theory, largely on behavioral and psychological grounds. In 2016, he was awarded the 22nd Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science for his contributions to political science.^[4]