The Richard A. Lester Award

for the

Outstanding Book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics

Since 1949 the Industrial Relations Section at Princeton has issued an annual list of "Noteworthy Books in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics". These books are selected each spring by the associates of the Industrial Relations Section from among the many dozens published during the previous year in the areas of Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management, and Labor Economics. The list includes eminent scholarly works as well as significant new books of interest to a wider audience of practitioners and general readers.

Richard A. Lester's ties with Princeton and the Industrial Relations Section began in 1929, when he enrolled as a graduate student in economics. Lester served as an instructor at Princeton (1934-38), and returned as Associate Professor and Research Associate of the Industrial Relations Section in 1945. He served as Chairman of the Economics Department from 1948 to 1955 and from 1961 to 1968, and as Dean of the Faculty from 1968 to 1973. Lester was one of the founders of the Industrial Relations Research Association and was elected its president in 1956. He served in Washington in various capacities between 1940 and 1944, and was vice-chairman of the President's Commission on the Status of Women from 1961 to 1963.

In recognition of Richard Lester's contribution to the fields of Labor Economics and Industrial Relations and his many years of service to the Industrial Relations Section, the Section has established an annual award for the outstanding book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics. The award is presented to the book making the most original and important contribution toward understanding the problems of industrial relations, labor market policies, and the evolution of labor markets.