In the Nobel announcement, specific mention was made of a 1968 paper on ocean shipping, in which North showed that organizational changes played a greater role in increasing productivity than did technological change.
I Nobelstiftelsens begrundelse blev særligt henvist til en artikel fra 1968 om søtransport, hvor North viste, at organisatoriske ændringer spillede en større rolle i at forøge produktiviteten, end teknologiske fremskridt.