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  6. CSWEP: Carolyn Shaw Bell Award

CSWEP: Carolyn Shaw Bell Award


The Carolyn Shaw Bell Award was created in January 1998 as part of the 25th Anniversary celebration of the founding of CSWEP. Carolyn Shaw Bell, the Katharine Coman Chair Professor Emerita of Wellesley College, was the first Chair of CSWEP. (To read a short biography of Carolyn Shaw Bell, see our Winter 2005 Newsletter.) The Carolyn Shaw Bell Award (“Bell Award”) is given annually to an individual who has furthered the status of women in the economics profession, through example, achievements, increasing our understanding of how women can advance in the economics profession, or mentoring others. 

Detailed guidance on the criterion used by the selection committee is available here.

View the Call for Nominations


2024 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award: Sandra E. Black

Sandra E. Black, 2024 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award Recipient

Sandra E. Black, Professor of Economics and International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, is the recipient of the 2024 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award.

Named after the first chair of CSWEP, the Carolyn Shaw Bell Award was created as part of the 25th Anniversary celebration of the founding of CSWEP. The award has been given annually since 1998 to an individual who has furthered the status of women in the economics profession through example, achievements, increasing our understanding of how women can advance in the economics profession, or mentoring others. Professor Black will formally accept this award at the CSWEP business meeting and award ceremony during the 2025 AEA/ASSA meeting in San Francisco.

Over her exemplary career, Dr. Black has provided vital support for women in economics at every stage, from undergraduate to tenured professor, while advancing a highly influential research agenda. She has contributed as an editor of leading journals, she founded the NBER program on economic mobility, and she served as a Member on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Dr. Black has a significant record of service to the profession, including serving on the Executive Committees of the AEA and the Society of Labor Economists, the AEA's Standing Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Professional Conduct, and the Board of CSWEP. Her research, mentorship, and leadership continue to create lasting, positive impacts on the status of women in the economics profession.

Dr. Black earned her BA in Economics with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. She is a leading scholar in labor economics, with regularly-cited academic articles on topics including the economics of education, discrimination, intergenerational mobility, and women’s educational and labor market outcomes. Dr. Black’s contributions to the field have been widely recognized, including her election as a Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists and a Fellow of the Econometric Society. Her research continues to impact academic thought and public policy.

Dr. Black is widely celebrated for her work as an advisor and mentor. She founded a weekly PhD student research group at both UT-Austin and at Columbia University - where it is affectionately known as “Sandy Lab.” Through these lab meetings, Dr. Black has fostered a collaborative environment where students not only benefit from her mentorship, but also from each other's support and guidance. As a mentor, Dr. Black is deeply committed to supporting female economists and underrepresented students. She has been instrumental in encouraging young women to pursue advanced degrees in economics and in guiding them through Ph.D. admissions or academic challenges. Her mentorship extends internationally, where she has helped female graduate students navigate the job market and guided junior faculty throughout their career trajectories. Dr. Black’s nomination materials included accounts from over 70 different economists citing examples of her kindness and generosity with her time and wise advice.

View the full announcement.

 

2023 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award Presentation with an introduction by nominators and supporters:

 

Carolyn Shaw Bell Award Recipients