The international honor society for economics names Austin Martin ’18 the 2018 recipient of the Frank W. Taussig Article Award.
Austin Martin ’18 has been selected to receive the 2018 Frank W. Taussig Article Award from Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics.
The award recognizes the best article of the year submitted by an undergraduate or recent graduate who is a member of the honor society.
Martin wins the award for his senior thesis, “Exploring the Effect of International Wage Differences on Brain Drain.”
“Brain drain” is a phrase often used to describe the flight of highly-skilled individuals from poor countries to rich countries. Martin investigated whether international wage differences are a contributing factor to the decision to migrate. His work showed wage differences appear to matter much more for low-skilled emigration than high-skilled emigration.
Brandon Sheridan, assistant professor of economics, mentored Martin throughout the research process.
Martin graduated from Elon in 2018 with a degree in international economics. He presented his thesis at the Eastern Economic Association Annual Meeting and at Elon’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum. During his senior year, he served as the president of Elon’s chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon and received the Love School of Business John Kappas Economics Award. Martin is currently a J.D. candidate at George Washington University Law School.
Omicron Delta Epsilon is one of the world's largest academic honor societies with 696 chapters. It focuses on recognizing scholastic attainment and honoring outstanding achievements in economics; establishing closer ties between students and faculty in economics within and among colleges and universities; the publication of its official journal, The American Economist; and sponsoring panels at professional meetings.