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Adams Prize

The Adams Prize in Economics was established in 1981. It is awarded annually for the best paper applying quantitative methods to an economic issue or problem. The award is made possible by the generosity of the eminent economist, F. Gerard (Jerry) Adams who was a loyal friend of long-standing to the Swarthmore Economics Department.

Professor Adams spent 37 years at the University of Pennsylvania and finished his career at Northeastern University in Boston.  He helped create the Wharton Model, which was one of the first econometric forecasting models and he also was a founding member of Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates.  He was the author of numerous books and several hundred articles; his final book, "Globalization: Today and Tomorrow" was published posthumously in 2011.

Year Student Name Paper Title
2019 Reed Orchinik '19 "Comparing Methods for Comparative Case Studies: Using Difference-in-Difference and Synthetic Control to Evaluate Right to Work Legislation." 
2018 Kate Musen '18 "Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Tobacco Use: Early Evidence from Colorado and Washington." 
2017 Xiyue (Iris) Song '17 "Union Effects on Labor Productivity: Evidence from State and MSA Level Data."
2016 Stephanie Kestelman '16 "Long-Term Effects of Electricity Rationing on Residential Electricity Consumption: Evidence from Brazil."
2015 Daniel May '16 "Gameday or Graduation: An Empirical Study on the Academic Effects of Collegiate Spending Allocation Between Athletics and Academics."
2014 Ben Wolcott '14 "Does Taking Econ 101 Cause Overconfidence?"
2013 Tyler Hanson '13 "Scourge of the Digital High Seas: Examining Cross-country Variation in Software Piracy Rates."
2012 Amanda R. Eng '12 "The Effects of School Obesity Programs on Child Obesity Outcomes."
2011 Joshua D. Abel '11 "United States Senators and the Decision to Deviate from Voter Preferences."
2010 Roy Allen '10 "Dynamics of the Unbanked."
2009 Jeffrey Weaver'10 "Determinants of Condom Use in Uganda."
2008 Jason U. Huh '08 "Are Housing Prices Influenced by the Presence of Starbucks? A Cross-City Study."
2007 Isaac Sorkin '07 "US Foreign Aid and the Iraq War."
2006 Jennifer Peck '06 "Female Labor Force Participation and Development in the Middle East and North Africa."
2005 Devasish Majumdar '05 "In Search of Financial Mean Regression: A Critical Look at Balvers, Wu, and Gilliland (2000) and Panel-Based Unit Root Test."
2004 Rachel Block '04 "Exports and GDP Growth: A Panel-Data Analysis."
2003 Not Awarded  
2002 Rebecca Paul '02 Measuring the Effect of Role Models on Women in Science at Swarthmore College
2001 Ben Keyes '01 "Peer Group Effects in a Randomized Experiment: Evidence from Project STAR."
2000 Elizabeth Ty Wilde '01 "One Assessment of Nonexperimental Evaluations of Class Size Reform."
  Dimo Pramatarov '02 "How does Debt Forgiveness Affect Total Aid Flows."
1999 Michael Anderson '99 "The Effects on Attainment of Differences in Educational Returns Across Sexes."
1998 Pinar Karaca '98 "Optimal Seigniorage Theory: With an Empirical Application to Turkey."
  Seth Murray '98 "Testing the Lucas Critique: An Examination of Super-exogeneity."
  Benjamin Kennedy '98 "Give Us Your Hooligans (No Harm Done)"
1997 Not Awarded  
1996 Christopher Mazingo '97 "Tort and Deterrence: Evidence from the New Zealand No-Fault Experience."
1995 Not Awarded  
1994 Christiaan Hogendorn '94 "Capital Mobility in Historical Perspective."
1993 Not Awarded  
1992 Not Awarded  
1991 Gautam Gowrisankaran '91  
1990 Daniel Covitz '90 "Re-estimating Money Demand and the Effects on Fiscal Policy."
1989 Not Awarded  
1988 Alexandra Papalexopoulou '88 "Empirical Testing of Exchange Rate Movements."
1987 Sugato Dasgupta "Jackknife and Other Tests for the Two Sample Dispersion Problem."
1986 Neil Lloyd The Impact of the Small Refiner Bias on the Structure of the United States Petroleum Refining Industry 1973-86."
1985 Not Awarded  
1984 Greg Shaffer '84 "Income Inequality in Malaysia."
1983 John Plunkett '83 "Empirical Tests of Komanoff's Sector-Size Hypothesis for Nuclear-Plant Capital Costs."
1982 Brian Cromwell '82 "The White/Hispanic Wage Gap."