We are pleased to announce that Professor Emeritus Wayne Gray and his former Ph.D. student, Dr. Rabia Mansoor (Deputy Chief at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics), have won the 2025 Michael Szenberg Prize for the Best Article Published in The American Economist. Professor Gray and Dr. Mansoor published an article entitled “Decomposition Analysis of Racial Income Inequality in the United States” in The American Economist in 2024.

The paper examines racial income inequality in the United States from 2000 to 2019. Using multiple regression analysis, the authors identify the importance of various factors in determining income, followed by a Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition to assess the extent to which those factors contribute to racial income gaps. Their findings highlight the need for multifaceted policies that address the underlying differences across racial groups.

The award is given in honor of Professor Michael Szenberg, who edited the journal for 38 years. Professor Gray and Dr. Mansoor will be recognized during the 2026 Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) meetings in Philadelphia in January 2026.

Congratulations, Professor Gray and Dr. Mansoor!

Reference
Mansoor, R., & Gray, W. B. (2024). Decomposition Analysis of Racial Income Inequality in the United States. The American Economist, 70(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/05694345241256631 (Original work published 2025)