2026 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS

(First Prize) Carlota Lorán López, Oberlin College. “Is Credit Ever Green? Rural Credit & Deforestation in Brazil”

(Second Prize) Adaye Sosthene Yvan N’guettia, Macalester College. “The Lottery You Do Not Want to Win: The Role of Local Institutional Quality in Brazil’s Fight Against the Persistent Transmission of Poverty”

(Second Prize) Jessica Goodman, Grinnell College. “The Impact of Monetary Policy Shocks on International Labor Markets: Spillovers and Cross-Country Comovement”

(Honorable Mentions)

2025 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS

(First Prize) Gavin Engelstad, Macalester College. “Cross-Sectional Household Heterogeneity in Responses to Macroeconomic Shocks”

(Second Prize) Abigail Donahue, University of Notre Dame. “Wisdom or Noise? Evaluating the Impact of Trader Volume on Prediction Market Accuracy”

(Honorable Mention) Kate Whitbred, The Ohio State University. “Differences in College Major Choice by Sexual Orientation”

(Honorable Mention) Cady Ngo, Grinnell College. “Feeding Attendance: Evaluating California’s Universal Meals Program and Its Impact on Public School Absenteeism”

2024 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS

(First Prize) Anna Durall, Macalester College. “Partisan Perspectives on Inflation: Exploring the Influence of Politcal Alignment on Inflation Expectations.”

(First Prize) Rebecca Stoia, Lake Forest College. “Investigating the Potential Impact of Large Language Models on Job Seeker Outcomes.”

(Honorable Mention) Spencer Cooper-Ohm, University of Iowa. “Analyzing the Non-Mortality Impacts of State Good Samaritan Opioid Laws.”

(Honorable Mention) Mahmoud Majdi, Macalester College. “What Is the Impact of an Anti-Poverty Program on Resilience to Negative Shocks? Evidence from Bangladesh.”

2023 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS

(First Prize) Yunshu Hu, University of Chicago. “Chinatowns: Indirect Casualties of the Pandemic.”

(First Prize) Cheikh Fall, Macalester College. “Desert Locust Invasions and Farmers’ Adaptation Strategies.”

(Honorable Mention) Zhi Zhang, University of  Chicago. “US Monetary Shocks and International Downside Risks Spillover.”

(Honorable Mention) Valeska Kohan, Macalester College. “How Do Highways Contribute to Racial Air Quality?”

(Honorable Mention) Eric Gao, Stanford University. “Information Disclosure in Matching with Uncertain Preferences.”

2022 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS

(First Prize) Nicholas Di, Macalester College. “How Does the Exhaustion of Unemployment Benefits Affect Labor Outcomes Differently Between Sex During COVID-19?”

(Honorable Mention) Spencer Bowdle, University of Maryland. “Minimum Wages and Rent: Evidence from U.S. Cities.”

(Honorable Mention) Nicholas Campion, Grinnell College. “Work and Welfare: Impact of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act on Child Mortality Rates in India.”

(Honorable Mention) Jared Jageler, Macalester College. “Did the Clear Air Act Improve Environmental Justice Disparities?”

(Honorable Mention) Leah Johnson, Carleton College. “The Urban and Rural Divide: Co-residence and Female Labor Supply in Brazil.”

(Honorable Mention) Mark Walker, Oberlin College. “Informal Payments and Willingness to Extract: Evidence from Central Asia.”

2021 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER

(First Prize) Saketan Anand, Grinnell College. “The Impact of Rural Employment Guarantee on Circular Migration in India.”

2020 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER

(First Prize) Pranjal Drall, Grinnell College. “Market Power in Airlines: Evidence from the Boeing 737 MAX Grounding.”

(Honorable Mention) Preston  Boorsma, University of Dayton. “Proxied Measurement of Knowledge Diffusion from the Frontier: Analysis of Patent Citation Networks.”

(Honorable Mention) Elizabeth Kula, St. Catherine University. “The Effect of Unemployment on the Decision to Enter the Illegal Ivory Trade.”

(Honorable Mention) Isabel Pastoor, St. Catherine University. “Female Genital Mutilation and Women’s Empowerment in the Home: Evidence from Senegal.”

(Honorable Mention) Esther Swehla, Macalaster College. “How Does the Minimum Wage Affect High School Enrollment?”

2019 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER

(First Prize) William Hancuch, University of Saint Thomas. “Parental Medicaid Expansions and Crowd-out: Evidence from Longitudinal Data and Insurance Transitions.”

(Honorable Mention) Michael Cagle, University of Minnesota-Morris. “Pay Variability and Truck Driver Turnover.”

(Honorable Mention) Skyler Schneekloth, Iowa State University. “Measuring and Explaining the Increasing Market Share of Large U.S. Farms, 1959-2012.”

2018 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER

(First Prize) Katherine Beall, Lake Forest College, “Defined Contribution Plans and the 2008 Financial Crisis.”

2017 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER

(First Prize) Jackie Craig, Miami University, “Estimating Inter-generational Mobility for Both Genders, 1880-1910.”

(Second Prize) Noah Sebek, Grinnell College, “Body Cameras, Policing, and Crime: A Differences-in-Differences and Regression Discontinuity Approach.”

2016 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER
Benjamin Goldman, Macalester College, “Are Methods of Indiscriminate Violence Subject to Rebound Effects? An Exploration of Drone Strike Efficacy.”

2015 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER
Jinghao Yang, University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Patience and Altruism of Parents: Implications to Children’s Education Investment.”

2014 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER
(First Prize) Margaret Hennessy, Lake Forest, “Germany’s 2007 Parental Leave Policy Reforms: Achieving a Healthy Work/Family Balance.”

(Second Prize) Deepak Premkumar, Iowa State University, “The Effects of Potential Hospital Closings on the Quality and Proximity of Hospital Options for Rural Residents.”

2013 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PAPER
Lauren Lopez, Ohio State University, “Corruption and International Aid Allocation: A Complex Dance.”