Paris (AFP)

Emmanuel Macron hailed the "magnificent Nobel Prize" in economics awarded Monday to the French-American Esther Duflo, who recalls, according to the head of state, that French economists are "currently at the best world level".

"The magnificent Nobel Prize of Esther Duflo reminds us that French economists are currently at the best level in the world and shows that research in this field can have a concrete impact on the well-being of humanity," said the president of the Republic on Twitter.

Esther Duflo "is a French woman rooted in the real", who "went to point out a number of risks that are linked to poverty, the rise of inequalities in the world," greeted the Minister of Finance. Bruno Le Mayor, in front of some journalists.

"I really congratulate Esther Duflo with a lot of warmth and enthusiasm, this is one of the first times that a woman economist has the Nobel Prize." This is a remarkable news for France and a great news for Esther Duflo ", he added, recalling that Mrs. Duflo had come to present her work in Bercy a few months ago.

In addition to the 47-year-old Franco-American, the Americans Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer were also awarded for their work on reducing poverty in the world.

"The recognition of Esther Duflo, it is also the recognition of this need to take more account of the fight against the inequalities and the poverty in the world", continued the minister.

"We have been demanding in France, for several months now, a capitalism that is more responsible, more sustainable.I think this is good news for us all because we win the political battle by the battle of ideas", he added.

"It also shows the excellence of French economic research," he said again. "We have other Nobel economics prizes, particularly with Jean Tirole in Toulouse (in 2014, ed.) There is a very high level of French economic tradition."

Before even obtaining the Nobel, Esther Duflo was one of the most celebrated economists in the world, especially in the United States, for her empirical work against poverty, which earned her prestigious awards including, in 2010, the John Bates Clark medal.

In half a century of history of the Nobel Prize in economics, Esther Duflo, born in Paris in 1972, is only the second woman to receive this distinction.

JRI-jk-CD-boc / soe / phc

© 2019 AFP