Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Government Finance and Taxation

The National Tax Association’s Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award was established in 1971 and recognizes exemplary dissertation research in government finance and taxation.

All graduate students at accredited U.S. and Canadian Institutions who will receive the doctoral degree or its equivalent after July 1, 2023, and before June 30, 2024, are eligible for the awards. Both theoretical and empirical dissertations are welcome, and may be on any topic in the area of government finance, including taxation, debt and fiscal policy, political economy, expenditures, budgeting, administrative and management science applications, program analysis, and policy evaluation.

Entries are judged by a panel of experts on the basis of originality, clarity of exposition, and significance of the analysis for scholars and practitioners of government finance. The winner receives $2,000. Two honorable mention awards of $1,000 each may be given for other outstanding entries. 

The awards will be presented at the 117th Annual Conference on Taxation in Detroit, Michigan, November 14 – 16, 2024. Papers based on the dissertations are featured at the Annual Conference.

The submission portal has closed.

The submission process requires two steps: 

1. The student must complete and submit the Outstanding Dissertation in Government Finance and Taxation Student Entry form.

2. The chair of the nomination committee must submit the Outstanding Dissertation in Government Finance and Taxation Chair Nomination form.

Click the hyperlinks above to begin the submission process. Submission portal closes June 17, 2024

Past Recipients

2023

Ben Sprung-Keyser, Harvard University
Honorable mentions: Neil Cholli, University of Chicago, Michael Love, University of California, Berkeley
2022 Valeria Zurla, Brown University
Honorable mentions: Paul Kindsgrab, University of Michigan, Maggie Shi, Columbia University
2021 Augustin Bergeron, Harvard University
Honorable mentions: Daniel G. Garrett, Duke University, Daniel Prinz, Harvard University
2020 Dario Tortarolo, University of California
Honorable mentions: Amelia (Molly) Hawkins, University of Michigan, Francis Wong, University of California
2019 Cailin Slattery, University of Virginia, Honorable mention: Seok Min (Terry) Moon, Princeton University, Michael Stepner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2018 David Schönholzer, University of California, Berkeley Honorable mention: Steven Hamilton, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Benjamin Hyman, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
2017 Jacob Bastian, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michael Gilraine, University of Toronto Honorable mention: Adam LaVecchia, University of Toronto
2016 Benjamin Lockwood, Harvard University Honorable mention: Youssef Banzarti, University of California, Berkeley Daniel Reck, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2015 Itzik Fadlon, Harvard University Honorable mention: Patrick Button, University of California, Irvine
2014 Benjamin Marx, Columbia University
2013 Tatiana Homonoff, Princeton University Honorable mention: Ugo Troiano, Harvard University
2012 Joshua Gottlieb, Harvard University Honorable mention: Jongsang Park, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2011 Marika Cabral, Stanford University Honorable mentions: Neale Mahoney, Stanford University Mark Phillips, University of Chicago
2010 Nirupama Rao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mention: Nicholas Turner, University of California, San Diego
2009 Jesse Edgerton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2008 James Sallee, University of Michigan Honorable mention: Hui Shan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2007 David Albouy, University of California, Berkeley Honorable mention: Garth Heutel, Georgia State University
2006 Arturo Ramirez Verdugo, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mention: Francesca Mazzolari, University of California, San Diego
2005 Monica Singhal, Harvard University Honorable mentions: Leah Brooks, UCLA Byron Lutz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2004 Joshua D. Rauh (Co-winner), Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fernando V. Ferreira (Co-winner), University of California, Berkeley Honorable mention: Peter Katuscak, University of Michigan
2003 Nadarajan Chetty, Harvard University Honorable mentions: Francisco Perez-Gonzalez, Harvard University John Straub, Texas A&M
2002 Kevin S. Milligan, University of Toronto Honorable mentions: Mellisa Kearney, MIT Karen Pence, University of Wisconsin
2001 Brian G. Knight, University of Wisconsin Honorable mentions: Amy Finkelstein, MIT Wojciech Kopczuk, University of Michigan
2000 Robert McMillan, Stanford University Honorable mentions: Patrick Bayer, Stanford University Roberton Williams III, Stanford University
1999 Emmanuel Saez, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mentions: Katherine Baicker, Harvard University Marc Stabile, Columbia University
1998 Dhammika Dharmapala, University of California, Berkeley Honorable mentions: Julia Lynn Coronado, University of Texas, Austin Jeffey P. Guilfoyle, Michigan State University
1997 George R. G. Clark, University of Rochester Honorable mentions: Jeffrey Liebman, Harvard University Todd Sinai, MIT
1996 Sheila E. Murray (Co-winner), University of Maryland Leora Friedberg (Co-winner), Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mention: John Pepper, University of Wisconsin
1995 Nada Eissa, Harvard University Honorable mentions: Jason G. Cummins, Columbia University Thomas C. Kinnaman, University of Virginia
1994 Caroline Minter Hoxby, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mentions: Thomas J. Nechyba, University of Rochester W. Loren Williams, Georgia State University
1993 Hilary A. Sigman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mentions: David Hulse, Louisiana State University James Ziliak, Indiana University
1992 Eric M. Engen, University of Virginia Honorable mentions: Edward Bird, University of Wisconsin Miguel Gouveia, University of Rochester
1991 William M. Gentry, Princeton University Honorable mentions: Arup Banerji, University of Pennsylvania Diane Lim Rogers, University of Virginia
1990 W. Thomas Bogart, Princeton University Honorable mentions: William Duncombe, Syracuse University Robert Wassmer, Michigan State University
1989 Brian A. Cromwell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mentions: Mary Lovely, University of Michigan Paul Rothstein, University of California, Berkeley
1988 Rosanne Altshuler, University of Pennsylvania Honorable mentions: Joosung Jun, Harvard University Gilbert Metcalf, Harvard University John Karl Scholz, Stanford University
1987 Serge Nadeau, Carnegie Mellon University Honorable mentions: James Andreoni, University of Michigan William Gale, Stanford University
1986 Andrew B. Lyon (Co-winner), Princeton University Jeffrey K. MacKie-Mason (Co-winner), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1985 Lawrence B. Lindsey, Harvard University Honorable mention: A. Lans Bovenberg, University of California, Berkeley
1984 Mitchell A. Post, University of Wisconsin Honorable mentions: Charles Ballard, Stanford University Jerald Schiff, University of Wisconsin
1983 David F. Merriman, University of Wisconsin Honorable mentions: Robert Hubbard, Harvard University Marc Robinson, Stanford University
1982 Robert S. Chirinko (Co-winner), Northwestern University Lawrence H. Summers (Co-winner), Harvard University Honorable mention: James R. Nunns, Purdue University
1981 Jane G. Gravelle, George Washington University Honorable mentions: Dan Crippen, Ohio State University Thomas Neubig, University of Michigan
1980 George R. Zodrow, Princeton University Honorable mentions: Joel Slemrod, Harvard University David Terkla, University of California, Berkeley
1979 Don Fullerton, University of California Honorable mention: Mike Johnson, University of North Carolina
1978 Charles F. Revier, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mentions: David M. de Ferranti, Princeton University Michael Lea, University of North Carolina
1977 Richard F. Dye, University of Michigan Honorable mentions: Robert Durbin Norton, Princeton University Robert Thomas Schneeweis, University of Iowa
1976 Patrick D. Larkey, University of Michigan Honorable mentions: Thomas McCaleb, Louisiana State University Nonna Noto, Stanford University
1975 John B. Burbidge, McGill University Honorable mentions: John Neufeld, University of Michigan Andrew Reschovsky, University of Pennsylvania
1974 Helen F. Ladd, Harvard University Honorable mentions: William Fischel, Princeton University Ann Roell Markusen, Michigan State University
1973 John H. Bowman, Ohio State University Honorable mentions: A. Mitchell Polinsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Roger Schmenner, Yale University
1972 Daniel L. Rubinfeld, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Honorable mentions: Gerald Auten, University of Michigan George Garrison, Clark University
1971 Michael J. Boskin, University of California Honorable mentions: Robert Inman, University of Pennsylvania Nancy Dayton Sidhu, University of Illinois