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May 17, 2018

2018 Senior Essay Nominees

group-nominees photo

Each year, 50-75 students write a senior essay in economics. Of these, 10-15 are nominated for a prize by both the student’s advisor as well as a second reader from the department. A committee comprised of faculty members from the Department of Economics read and select the prize winning essays.

Nine senior essays have been nominated for prizes this year. The nominees are: Harry Browne, Saul Downie, Kevin Huang, Eliot Levmore, Martin Lim, Neeraj Shekhar, Tijana Stanic, Hannah Yang, and Jinchen Zou.

The prizes are as follows:

  • The Charles Heber Dickerman Memorial Prize
    Awarded to one or more seniors who have presented the best departmental essay.

  • The Ronald Meltzer/Cornelia Awdziewicz Economic Award
    Awarded to one or two runner-up(s) for the Dickerman Prize.

  • The Ellington Prize
    Awarded to one or more seniors who have presented the best departmental essay in the field of finance.

The nominated essays have been posted below with the permission from the authors.

William English and Harry Browne

Nominee: Harry Browne
Advisor: William English
EssayBraving the Uncharted Sea:Effects of the IOER – ON RRP Spread on the Federal Funds Market and Overnight Reverse Repurchase Facility

Jason Abaluck and Saul Downie Nominee: Saul Downie
Advisor: Jason Abaluck
Essay: Ubering Under the Influence: The Impact of Ridesharing on Drunk Driving
Kevin Huang Portrait

Nominee: Kevin Huang
Advisor: Lorenzo Caliendo
Essay: The Regional and Sectoral Consequences of Leaving NAFTA

Eliot Levmore Portrait Nominee: Eliot Levmore
Advisor: Glen Weyl
Essay: Approximate Vickrey Auctions
Martin Lim and Joe Altonji

Nominee: Martin Lim
Advisor: Joseph Altonji
Essay: Estimating the Effect of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on DREAMers

Neeraj Shekhar and nocholas Barberis Nominee: Neeraj Shekhar
Advoser: Nicholas Barberis
Essay: A Belief-Based Model of Investor Trading Behavior
Tijana Stanic Portrait Nominee: Tijana Stanic
Advisor: Dr. Joseph S. Ross
Essay: The Effect of the Sunshine Act on Industry Payments to Physicians in Orthopedic Surgery and Other Surgical Specialties
Hannah Yang and Joe Altonji Nominee: Hannah Yang
Advisor: Joseph  Altonji
Essay: Wealth Inequality between Americans: Exploring Recent Trends in the Racial Wealth Gap
Jinchen Zou and Robert Mendelsohn Nominee: Jinchen Zou
Advisor: Robert Mendelsohn
Essay: A Program Treading Water: Measuring the Eect of Changes in National Flood Insurance Program Premiums on Houston Housing Markets