Each year, 40-50 students write a senior essay in economics. Of these, the top essays 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. The prizes are awarded on commencement day during the students’ respective college ceremonies, and the winning essays will be posted on the prize page after graduation.
This year, seven senior essays have been nominated for prizes. The nominees are: Marley Finley, Rohan Garg, Lauren Harris, Adrian Kulesza, Hannah Moreno, Teodora Tyankova, and Lucy Zhu.
The prizes are as follows:
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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.
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Nominee: Marley Finley: Advisor: Costas Meghir Essay: Girls Who Code: A Randomized Field Experiment on Gender-Based Hiring Discrimination |
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Nominee: Rohan Garg: Advisor: Yair Listokin Essay: Should Central Banks Lend to Local Governments in Times of Crisis? Evidence from the Federal Reserve’s Covid-19 Municipal Liquidity Facility |
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Nominee: Lauren Harris: Advisor: Joseph Altonji Essay: Estimating Excess Female Attrition From STEM Occupations |
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Nominee: Adrian Kulesza: Advisor: Costas Arkolakis Essay: Transportation Infrastructure and Knowledge Diffusion |
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Nominee: Hannah Moreno: Advisor: Fabrizio Zilibotti Essay: Effect of Romania's E.U. Accession on Regional Emigration and Development |
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Nominee: Teodora Tyankova: Advisor: Gerald Jaynes Essay: Demystifying the Economic Impact of the Refugee Crisis: An Analysis of Revenues and Expenditures Associated With Refugee Flows and Stocks into Bulgaria |
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Nominee: Lucy Zhu: Advisor: Costas Meghir Essay: California’s Three Strikes Law Reformed: What Happens to Crime Rates When Stealing a Slice of Pizza No Longer Means Life Behind Bars |
