UBC Reports | Vol. 48 | No. 4 | Feb. 21, 2002

Economist garners top prize

Killam Research Prizes awarded to Arts and Science researchers

Efficient use of taxation and ethical concerns surrounding social choice and variable population are some of the problems that have kept Economics Prof. Charles Blackorby interested and involved during a research career that spans more than three decades.

Awarded this year's Jacob Biely Faculty Research Prize, Blackorby says he is both surprised and pleased by the honour. Long regarded as UBC's premier research award, the Biely prize is given for a distinguished record of recently accomplished published research.

"Prof. Blackorby joins a long list of our best faculty with very impressive research accomplishments," says Indira Samarasekera, vice-president, Research.

Blackorby specializes in welfare economics, social choice, public finance and microeconomic theory. He recently studied Canada's employment insurance (EI) program which some economists have criticized as an inefficient mix of insurance and income redistribution. His research suggested, however, that the structure of EI is efficient.

President of the Canadian Economic Association in 2000-01, Blackorby says the brain drain has had a devastating effect on the Canadian economics research scene. He says many colleagues have moved to the U.S. and to Europe where he himself is headed this summer to take up a new faculty position at the University of Warwick.

The university has also announced recipients of the UBC Killam Research Prizes. The $5,000 prizes have been awarded annually since 1986 to top campus researchers and are equally divided between arts and sciences. Recipients are: Miranda Burgess, English; Brian Copeland, Economics; Michael Gerry, Chemistry; David Green, Economics; George Mackie, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; William Mohn, Microbiology and Immunology; Tae Oum, Commerce and Business Administration; Gerald Sandy, Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies; Patricia Vertinsky, Educational Studies; Ariel Zhitnitsky, Physics and Astronomy.

There were no nominations this year for the Charles A. McDowell Award for Excellence in Research.