To deepen our understanding of the economic impact of gender and racial inequities, the San Francisco Fed is launching an essay contest for graduate students. This contest is part of our commitment to better understand the U.S. economy’s potential in order to support our maximum employment mandate.
Our own research shows that gender and racial equity will be crucial for producing faster economic growth and helping the country stay competitive globally. This equity will reflect an economy in which all people can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
Contest guidelines
We are seeking essays that address various aspects of gender and racial inequities, their underlying causes, and their economic consequences. Essays must provide empirical analysis to support the author’s conclusion and be no more than 5,000 words.
The contest is open to graduate students in economics and related fields at any U.S. college or university that grants graduate degrees. Essays must be approved by a professor in an accompanying reference letter.
Two essays will be selected to be published in shortened form in the SF Fed’s FRBSF Economic Letter, subject to our review process. Winning authors will each be awarded a $1,000 prize.
In addition, essay winners will be invited to spend six weeks during the summer of 2022 at the SF Fed as Economic Research scholars. Students will present their work through internal brown bag seminars. They also will have the chance to discuss their work with others, receive mentoring, and build relationships with economists and other Bank employees. The scholar program will include a stipend.
How to enter
Interested students should submit their essay, reference letter, and a resume to SF.ER.Unlocking.Potential@sf.frb.org by February 15, 2022. We will announce the winning essays in mid-March 2022.
Economic Research scholars are required to
- Satisfy the Federal Reserve’s employment eligibility and background screening requirements
- Have authorization to work in the United States
- Be available to work for the full duration of the six-week internship. Note that the status of the COVID-19 pandemic during the summer of 2022 will determine whether scholars will complete the program in person or remotely.
View “Unlocking Our Potential” description and guidelines as a PDF (130 kb)
What are the economic impacts of gender and racial inequities? The SF Fed essay contest ‘Unlocking Our Potential’ invites graduate students to share their insights and analysis. (video, 50 seconds).
Transcript
[Image: People walk across a busy intersection.]
Unlocking Our Potential.
An essay contest for doctoral students.
[Image: Aerial view of an intersection with Love, Change, Peace, and Unity written across the four crosswalks.]
What are the economic impacts of gender and racial inequities?
[Image: A street view of a busy crosswalk in Chinatown.]
Our own research shows that an inclusive economy enables everyone to participate and prosper…
[Image: Cardboard boxes pass on a conveyor belt in an industrial building.]
And that will be critical for faster growth and global competitiveness.
[Image: Four icons, from left to right: a magnifying class over a pie chart, two overlapped chat bubbles, a checkmark, a heart inside of a shield. Image transitions to a person working at a computer. Image transitions to a graduation cap.]
As part of our commitment to better understand the U.S. economy’s potential, we are looking for essays that address various aspects of gender and racial inequities, their underlying causes and economic consequences.
[Image: A busy sidewalk. Image transitions to traffic at a downtown intersection.]
Two winners will be awarded a prize, invited to spend six weeks as Economic Research scholars, and have their word published as an FRBSF Economic Letter.
Interested? Apply by February 15, 2022.
[Image: Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco logo.]
Sylvain Leduc is the Director of Economic Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
This post originally published on June 28, 2021 and was updated on November 18, 2021 and December 14, 2021.
Photo credit: nadia_bormotova via iStock
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The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the management of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.