IDB Awards Young Economists for Outstanding Research on Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

WASHINGTON - The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has announced the winners of the 2025 IDB Young Economist Award, an annual recognition that celebrates outstanding research by recent PhD graduates in economics focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Pascuel Plotkin, an Argentine researcher from the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies, won first prize for his paper titled “Dinner at Your Door: How Delivery Platforms Affect Workers and Firms.” His study analyzes the impact of online delivery platforms on restaurants and workers in Brazil, highlighting both the costs and potential benefits of these platforms, particularly in economies with high levels of informality.

Daniel Jaramillo Calderón, an Ecuadorian economist from The University of British Columbia, won second prize for his analysis of how former convicts influenced crime rates in their neighborhoods following a mass amnesty in Ecuador.

The third prize was awarded to Renata Motta Café, a Brazilian economist from the Getulio Vargas Foundation who is currently a fiscal policy specialist at the IDB, for her evaluation of how access to government-backed loans affects municipal public spending in Brazil.

Francisco Eslava Sáenz from Colombia (University of British Columbia), Karla Hernández from Costa Rica (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Isaac Martínez Centeno from Chile (London School of Economics and Political Science), Laura Pérez Cervera from Spain (Queen Mary University), and Víctor Zuluaga from Colombia (University of Houston) received honorable mentions for their exceptional contributions.

“At the IDB, we are proud to recognize the talent and dedication of the young economists who participated in this year’s award. We extend our warmest congratulations to the winners for their rigorous, creative, and policy-relevant research addressing the pressing challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean. This award not only honors academic excellence but also highlights the transformative power of economic research to improve lives,” said Laura Alfaro Maykall, Chief Economist and Economic Advisor at the IDB.

The winners will be honored during the 2nd IDB Research Conference, to be held on September 15 and 16 at IDB headquarters in Washington, DC. The conference will feature high-level presentations and discussions with academics, policymakers, and development professionals. It will explore how digital technologies—such as artificial intelligence, digitization, and automation—are reshaping the landscape of economic development.

The 2025 IDB Young Economist Award welcomed applications from PhD graduates in economics from the IDB’s 48 member countries. A selection committee composed of IDB economists and researchers reviewed 66 submissions, evaluating each based on originality, methodological rigor, and relevance to public policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.