1. I think that behavioral economics is over-rated, but otherwise I don’t begrudge the award to Richard Thaler. There have been worse recipients, and there will be worse recipients in the future.
2. I think that Edward Leamer deserves an award. I would argue that he single-handedly swept away some very bad habits that had accumulated in applied econometrics.
3. William Easterly would be an interesting candidate for an award. He has been influential in sweeping away some very bad habits in thinking about development policy.
4. I would like to see an award given to an economist who has highlighted intangible sources of economic growth. Paul Romer, Deirdre McCloskey, and Joel Mokyr come to mind.
5. At some point, there has to be an award that reflects economics in light of the Internet. Hal Varian comes to mind.
6. At some point, I hope there is an award that reflects a rebellion against simple models and instead an appreciation of complexity. Hayek had this appreciation, and he was given an award, but instead the Nobel committee cited his macro theory, which was much less deserving of an award. Going forward, no particular individual comes to mind, but perhaps the Santa Fe Institute should get an award?
Under 4, 5, and 6, one might argue that Hernando de Soto and the Institute for Liberty and Democracy shine brightest and that their work promoting the inclusive rule of law the most consequential work of any of those cited. De Soto has been credited with creating a successful economic approach to eliminating terrorism. Millions, if not billions, of lives have been vastly improved by their work with countries around the world in giving people formal property rights and by studying the role of institutions for entrepreneurship . They also are pioneers in promoting block chain technology to implement formal property rights for the poor.
See
https://www.cato.org/friedman-prize/hernando-desoto/biography
http://www.ild.org.pe/ild-in-the-news