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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Charlie Grabois '25 | "The Impact of Work Requirements on SNAP Participation and Labor Supply: An Event Study Approach" |
| 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." |
