As part of their undergraduate coursework at Princeton, all economics majors work with faculty advisors to produce two independent research projects: A Junior Paper and a Senior Thesis. Through these projects, students are able to explore in detail research topics they’re passionate about.

For their Senior Thesis, each student works with a faculty advisor to produce an original research project—either theoretical or empirical—in any field within macroeconomics, microeconomics, or econometrics. Copies of every senior thesis dating back to 1927 are catalogued by the university to inform research for years to come.

Princeton Economics Seniors also have the opportunity to win one of several Senior Thesis prizes. In the videos below, a few of our 2020 prize winners talk about their project, what motivated it, and what they learned. To learn about all of our 2020 prize winners, see them present in our 2020 Virtual Class Day video.

Can Immigration Enforcement Policies Induce Labor Market Discrimination? Evidence from Secure Communities

Winner of the Daniel I Rubenfeld ’67 Prize in Empirical Economics
By: Yousra Zerouali Boukhal
Adviser: Orley Ashenfelter

The Impact of Vocational Education on Students’ Academic Outcomes: Evidence from the Dominican Republic

Winner of the John Glover Wilson Memorial Award
By: Isabella Haegg
Adviser: Christopher Neilson