Pablo Fajgelbaum named recipient of inaugural Amartya Sen Economics Prize
The biennial prize honors an outstanding Latin American or Caribbean economist under the age of 45
Citlalli Chávez-Nava
UCLA trade and urban economist Pablo Fajgelbaum was named recipient of the inaugural Amartya Sen Economics Prize by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA) and the Amartya Sen Economics Prize Foundation on Oct. 6.
The biennial prize recognizes an economist under the age of 45 for an influential body of work and significant contributions to the understanding of economic issues relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean. The prize is named for Amartya Sen, the Indian economist and philosopher who received the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics.
A native of Argentina, Fajgelbaum was selected from more than 100 nominations from around the world, for his landmark contributions to international trade and spatial economics — the study of how geography shapes economic activity and opportunity.
“His research has advanced our understanding of how global integration, trade policy and transportation infrastructure shape economic opportunities across people and regions, combining methodological innovation with a strong focus on practical policy questions,” said LACEA in a statement.
Fajgelbaum’s current research is exploring the impacts of large transportation investments and the incentives that guide policymakers in designing them. As many countries adopt protectionist economic policies, he is also analyzing the costs and benefits from these experiences in both the U.S. and in smaller economies, including Argentina.
“I feel honored and grateful to my family and friends, advisors and colleagues who have shaped my development as an economist, and of course to my coauthors, who have been essential in our papers,” said Fajgelbaum upon learning about the prize. “Research is a collective effort, so any recognition for a set of papers is truly a recognition to that collective effort.”
As the inaugural recipient of the prize, Fajgelbaum will receive a $25,000 cash prize. He will also participate in the 2026 LACEA Annual Meeting in Lima and will deliver the 2027 Amartya Sen Lecture in Mexico City.
Martha Bailey to explore the history and future of U.S. fertility rates at UCLA’s College Lecture Awards
She will provide a more informed picture of how American families are changing and what it means for policy and the future
Composite: Tina Hordzwick /UCLA
Citlalli Chávez-Nava
On Oct. 12, UCLA’s College will redouble its commitment to its Bruin ideals of higher education: educating tomorrow’s leaders and advancing research and creative activity at its first-ever UCLA College Lecture Awards.
One of the five honored professors will be Martha Bailey, a professor in UCLA’s Department of Economics. In addition to leading LIFE‑M, an ambitious data infrastructure project linking millions of birth, marriage and death records with census information on everything from household size and wages to educational attainment across four generations, Bailey also directs UCLA’s California Center for Population Research (CCPR), a dynamic social science research hub with over 200 affiliates, including more than 100 faculty.
Ahead of UCLA College Lecture Awards, UCLA spoke with Bailey about what audiences can expect from her presentation, which will include highlights of her work on analyzing the long-term changes in U.S. fertility rates.
Can you share a bit as to the topic of your upcoming lecture?
My lecture will focus on falling fertility rates, one of the most universal and consequential changes of the last century. Birth rates have declined in nearly every country in the world, and that shift has reshaped families, labor markets and the economy. A lot of media coverage focuses on the last decade, but I’ll be talking about the longer sweep of history and placing our current experience within that context. I’ll also be debunking a few myths and explain why it’s easy to get this story wrong.
Why do you think it’s important to discuss this topic now?
Falling birth rates are one of those headlines that produce anxiety for a lot of reasons, but some of this conversation rests on a misreading of the facts. So I’ve put together some data to show how some widely repeated claims don’t hold up. A few spoilers: American families are not shrinking; childlessness is not rising; and fertility rates among the most educated women are rising. The gap in family size between the most and least advantaged Americans is smaller today than at any time in the last 100 years.
What do you hope audience members will walk away with after the event?
I hope the audience will leave with a clearer and more grounded picture of how American families are changing. Falling fertility rates are real, but this is not a story of the collapse of the American family. I also look forward to what the next chapter of the American family might hold and why history gives us reason for optimism.
What is your specific focus and goal of your economic research?
I’m a labor economist, a demographer and an economic historian. When you put all those three things together, that means that I study people’s lives over time — sometimes across one generation, sometimes across as many as four. The goal of this research is to try to go beyond understanding how public policies affect things in the short run to understand how they shape people’s opportunities and outcomes in the long run.
How did you become interested in assessing the long-term effects of economic policy and social programs?
My fascination began when I started reading about the War on Poverty. It was one of the most ambitious efforts in American history to expand economic opportunity, and it included a sweeping set of social programs targeting education, health and nutrition. But within a few years, social scientists and policymakers had decided it had failed. That puzzled me: many of the programs were designed to help children, so how could they know whether it failed so soon? And these evaluations were in an era where quantitative social science was in its infancy: how could they have concluded cause and effect so decisively without modern tools of causal inference?
My research followed up on these questions and often led me to some very different conclusions. For example, many of the War on Poverty programs did not work, but others made lasting differences. The effects had been there for years waiting for us to uncover them. This discovery is the part of research that I love.
What college class changed your life?
Many of them, but very memorably: calculus. I had always liked math, but I didn’t realize I had any talent until my college professor returned my first exam and whispered: “You are quite good at this.” Being noticed and encouraged like that really motivated me, and it eventually led me to economics. I try to pass this type of recognition to my own students who have far more talent than they often realize.
What are you most looking forward to for the UCLA College Lecture Awards?
I’m excited to share the stage with such an inspiring group. I am sure I will learn a great deal.
Davide Panagia elected 2026 fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
His scholarship examines how perception, sensation, images, media and cultural forms shape political judgment and democratic life
UCLA Social Sciences
Davide Panagia, professor and chair of UCLA’s Department of Political Science, has been elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), one of Canada’s highest honors recognizing distinguished scholars, artists and scientists.
Panagia will join the society’s Academy of Social Sciences and is among the other 105 other scholars and researchers elected across the society’s three academies. His work explores how politics intersects with culture, art, and technology—looking at topics like film, digital media, affect and the ways people experience democratic life in multicultural societies.
“A truly cosmopolitan and interdisciplinary thinker, Panagia focuses on the role of aesthetics in the study of political culture and how experiences of diversity, equality and participation shape public values and shared belongings,” said a statement announcing RSC’s class of 2026 on Sept. 9.
Born in Italy, Panagia immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada at age six where he spent his childhood and young adult life. He received an honors degree in political science from the University of Manitoba and went on to complete a masters in letters in political theory at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He later received his doctorate degree in political science at Johns Hopkins University.
Before joining UCLA’s Department of Political Science in 2014, Panagia held the Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies at Trent University. He has also served as an editor for major academic journals including Theory & Event (2010-2015) and Political Theory (2020-2023).
Panagia and other members of RSC’s class of 2026 will be honored Nov. 13 at the society’s Celebration of Excellence and Engagement in Ottawa, Canada.
Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada is Canada’s senior national academy and exists to promote Canadian research and scholarly accomplishment in both of Canada’s official languages, to recognize academic and artistic excellence, and to advise governments, non-governmental organizations, and Canadians generally on matters of public interest.
