Announcing the 2024 Stone Center Thesis and Dissertation Award Winners

The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility Undergraduate Thesis Award, created in 2023, is annually awarded to two exceptional University of Chicago undergraduate students, along with two graduate students and two PhD students. This accolade celebrates outstanding research within the social sciences and public policy, focusing on themes of inequality within the United States or across diverse cultural contexts.

"There was a remarkable level of interest in our program this year!” said Grace Hammond, executive director of the Stone Center. “The number of nominations we received was four times higher than what we received in our first year, demonstrating the strong support from advisors for their college, master’s, and Ph.D. students engaged in inequality research.”

The award is named after the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation, aiming to advance a more informed and equitable society, with a particular focus on environmental sustainability and reducing wealth inequality. At the University of Chicago, the Stone Center is a research hub that enables world-leading scholars to deepen their understanding of the inequality in society and formulate new approaches to address the challenge of creating a more equitable society.

The Stone Center awards undergraduate and master-level recipients a $250 prize and doctoral recipients a $1000 price, issues a certificate of achievement, and jointly recognizes them with their home programs.

“With incredible work at all levels to consider, we decided to enhance our bachelor’s thesis award program by including recognition for master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations,” Grace added. “It was enriching to be introduced to the ambitious early-stage research taking place on campus, and more so incredibly rewarding to acknowledge the exceptional work being done by our students. Congratulations to our seven awardees!"

The Stone Center Thesis and Dissertation Award winners are:

BA Awards:

Award for Public Policy

Douglas Williams

Thesis: “Disaggregating National Trends In Homeless: Quantifying the effects of Latin American asylum seekers and the growth of West Coast unsheltered homelessness on spiking homeless estimates”

Douglas Williams’s thesis investigates the unprecedented surge in US homelessness highlighted in the 2023 Point-In-Time Count, particularly in cities like Chicago, attributed in part to South and Central American asylum seekers. This influx has doubled the increase and poses new challenges for homelessness and immigration services. The study also reveals the concentrated rise in street homelessness in a few California counties. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted policies and support systems to address the evolving complexities of homelessness in affected communities.

Douglas is graduating with a dual degree in Public Policy and Data Science. In addition to his time spent in activism for the Black Lives Matter and Illinois Bail Reform movements, he has worked with the 3DL geometric deep learning lab and on various public policy issues such as political polarization and algorithmic bias. He will be joining the Comprehensive Income Dataset Project (CID) as a Pre-Doctoral Researcher after graduation.

Award for Public Policy

Renato de Angelis

Thesis: “The Intergenerational Occupational Mobility of Native American Men in the Wake of Assimilation, 1900-1940”

Renato de Angelis’s thesis explores the social mobility of Native Americans in the early 20th century, a period often overlooked in social mobility studies. Using census data, it reveals high levels of downward mobility and limited upward mobility both on and off reservations during this era of assimilationist policies and economic volatility. Mobility prospects were marginally better for those living outside reservation counties but remained generally low across all groups. The data suggests that reservations may have functioned as mobility traps for Native Americans during this time.

Renato received her bachelor’s in Public Policy Studies and Statistics. During her time at UChicago, she has worked as a research assistant for professors in the Economics and Political Science departments, as well as at the Stone proper. After graduation, she will return to the Stone Center to work as a predoc with Professor Durlauf.

Award in the Social Sciences

Isabella Ramkissoon

Thesis: “Young Children’s Sociopolitical Worldviews”

Isabella Ramkissoon’s thesis explores how children develop early socio-political views on inequality and social mobility, resembling adult perspectives by elementary school. It finds that children's beliefs in authoritarianism and social dominance correlate positively, indicating a coherent worldview. Moreover, children of politically conservative parents tend to exhibit greater tolerance for inequality and more traditional values compared to those with liberal parents, suggesting parental influence on early political attitudes. These findings underscore the early emergence and familial shaping of children's socio-political orientations.

Isabella is majoring in Psychology. She has worked as a research assistant at the Development of Social Cognition (DSC) Laboratory since her second year where she completed her undergraduate thesis project and has won the prestigious Earl R. Franklin Fellowship in 2023 to support her thesis research. After graduating, she plans to continue working on her thesis research at the DSC and intends to pursue a PhD in Developmental Psychology and, eventually, a career in academia.

MA Awards:

Award in the Social Sciences

Maggie Rivera

Thesis: “Sanctuary in the Schoolyard? The Case of the Wadsworth Migrant Shelter”

Maggie Rivera’s thesis examines community responses to migrant shelters in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood, refuting media claims of "Black-Latino tensions" or "NIMBYism." It argues instead that residents' frustrations reflect historical inequities and a systemic disregard for local input in policymaking. Inspired by Eve L. Ewing's insights, the research reveals overlooked community efforts to engage with city officials for inclusive solutions, challenging narratives that overlook these collaborative efforts. This shift in perspective underscores that inequality extends beyond material disparities to include the marginalization of local voices and community-driven solutions in urban policy discussions.

Maggie completed a master’s in social science in her undergraduate program. Throughout her time at UChicago, she has worked extensively with the College's University Community Service (UCSC) Center and Writing Program. She has also partnered with several local faith organizations and nonprofit programs. After graduation, she will continue working in Chicago’s nonprofit sector.

Award for Public Policy

Joseph Spada

Thesis: “Employment Effects of Minimum Wage Increases: Evidence from New Jersey”

Joseph Spada’s thesis explores the impact of minimum wage increases, focusing on New Jersey's phased-in $15 minimum wage. Motivated by initial economic theory suggesting job losses from wage hikes, the research was sparked by Card and Kreuger's surprising findings of positive employment effects. Key findings indicate that New Jersey's minimum wage increase led to temporary boosts in employment without significant job losses among low-wage workers. These results challenge traditional economic assumptions and support minimum wage increases as a means to enhance income for low-wage earners, thereby addressing income inequality.

Joseph has worked as an associate at Keystone Strategy, an economics and strategy consulting firm in New York City. He joined the MAPSS program at UChicago in 2023 and will be receiving a Master of Arts in the Social Sciences with a concentration in Economics. After MAPSS, he will be working as a research assistant at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, after which he plans to apply to PhD programs in Economics.

PhD Awards:

Award in the Social Sciences

Ilana Ventura

Thesis: “A Home In The Homeland: Understanding Latino First and Second-Generation Transnational Ties”

Ilana Ventura’s thesis investigates how Latin American immigrants and their second-generation descendants in the U.S. maintain ties to their homelands through property ownership abroad. It argues that owning property serves dual purposes: economic investment and preservation of familial and cultural connections. This transnational approach allows individuals to integrate into American society while maintaining emotional and economic ties overseas, offering stability and identity continuity amidst challenges like discrimination or legal status concerns in the U.S.

Ilana received her PhD in Sociology in 2024 and works as a Researcher Methodologist at NORC at UChicago. She has taught sociology courses at UChicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as methods-based short courses for various clients. Her work appears in many accredited journals such as the International Migration Review.

Award for Public Policy

Angela Wyse

Thesis: “Essays on Homelessness”

Angela Wyse’s dissertation investigates homelessness in the U.S. utilizing detailed and nationally representative data. The research underscores severe material deprivation among homeless individuals despite their engagement with formal employment and safety net programs and also reveals stark health disparities, showing that homeless individuals face mortality risks comparable to significantly older housed individuals. These findings offer critical insights for addressing homelessness and set a new trajectory for quantitative research in economics and social policy.

Angela holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Harris School and will join Dartmouth College as an Assistant Professor of Economics in Fall 2024. She holds a B.A. in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Before Harris, she spent five years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, completing tours in Casablanca, Morocco and Karachi, Pakistan