Nominations open for the 2023 NZIER Early Career Economics Leader Award
Nominations close Sunday 20 August
The biennial NZIER Early Career Economics Leader Award is organised and underwritten by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) to recognise and encourage the advancement of economics in New Zealand.
The winner of the award is selected by an independent panel that includes the Governor of the Reserve Bank, The President of the NZAE, the Secretary for Treasury and the Chairperson of NZIER (or their nominees), and one representative each from the academic and business communities.
Nominations close Sunday, 20 August 2023
2023 information
Please email nominations and any questions to the Secretary to the awarding panel.
Dr Isabelle Sin: 2021 Award winner
Dr Isabelle Sin was the recipient of the award for 2021. A Senior Fellow at Motu, Isabein recognition for her work on the gender pay gap in medicine, and intended vs actual parental leave for working mothers.
Her work on the gender pay gap, using New Zealand data, revealed that women were paid substantially less even when accounting for factors related to parenthood, such as years of experience.
Examining the life of working mothers, she found they would prefer to take 69 weeks leave, much longer than the 26 weeks of paid parental leave. They expected to be able to take only 36 weeks, with much of the difference due to financial constraints. Half of mothers returned to work earlier than expected.
NZIER Board member and Selection Panel chair Professor Les Oxley said:
“New Zealand has some outstanding early-career leaders in a range of economics-related positions, and we felt it was time they were recognised and encouraged for their advancements of economics on so many levels. Isabelle has demonstrated leadership in some fundamentally important areas for New Zealand, and that work, we believe, will have a long term impact and global significance.”