The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has unveiled the recipients of the 2026 Young Economist Award, acknowledging the remarkable contributions of young scholars in economics.

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The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has announced the winners of its prestigious 2026 Young Economist Award. This prize recognizes and promotes  valuable contributions made by emerging talent in the field of economics within the region.

This year's recipients represent a range of ideas and research areas, showcasing innovative approaches to economic issues facing Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The winners are:

Paula Donaldson, an Argentine economist with a PhD from the University of California, San Diego, and an Assistant Professor at Brown University, won first prize. Her paper argues that traditional estimates of the impact of certain public policies may be overstated because they do not always separate the direct effects of a policy from the reactions it generates throughout the rest of the economy. It also proposes a new method for isolating these indirect effects.

Sebastián Espinoza-Rojas, a Chilean doctoral candidate at University College London, won second prize for analyzing how difficulties related to commuting influence employers’ market power and how the effect varies depending on workers’ skill levels.

Juan Martín Pal, an Argentine economist, currently Assistant Professor at PUC-Chile School of Government, with a PhD from the Toulouse School of Economics, received third prize for studying the design of higher education policies aimed at improving the recruitment of public officials.

Laura Alfaro Maykall, Chief Economist and Economic Counsellor at the IDB, issued a statement praising the winners, saying “The high quality of the studies submitted in this edition reflects the talent, rigor, and commitment of a new generation of economists studying the challenges and opportunities facing Latin America and the Caribbean. We congratulate the winners for the originality, methodological rigor, and relevance of their research, which provides valuable evidence for designing better policies and promoting the region’s development.”

The winners were selected from over 40 submitted papers. They will be presented with their Awards at the IDB Research Conference, taking place on 14-15 September in Washington D.C.

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Read the full press release: iadb.org

Find out more about Paula Donaldson on her personal website or her Brown University profile page.

Find out more about Sebastián Espinoza-Rojas on his personal website or his University College London profile page.

Find out more about Juan Martín Pal on his personal website.