In 1991, the EEA created a medal to be awarded once every two years (even years) to the author(s) of an outstanding article published in the Association’s Journal during the two preceding years. It is named Hicks-Tinbergen to make it clear that the EEA stands for both theoretical and empirical work in economics in Europe.
The EEA is pleased to announce the 2026 Award:
Paper: The Academic Market and the Rise of Universities in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (JEEA Volume 22 Issue 4)
Authors: David de la Croix, Frédéric Docquier, Alice Fabre and Robert Stelter
This paper is a pathbreaking contribution to the study of European Universities since medieval times. It could not be more appropriate for an award given by the European Economic Association, as the paper highlights the central contributions of Europe to frontier knowledge. The paper is part of a large-scale project funded by the European Research Council to create a comprehensive biographical database of European academics, the Repertorium Eruditorum Totius Europae. The database itself is a remarkable contribution to knowledge. The paper introduces the database but does not stop there. The authors uses the data to document new and surprising facts about the European academic market between 1000 and 1800. The authors show that the European academic market during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, was integrated and meritocratic. Latin was as the common language, facilitating the allocation of the best scholars to the best universities on a Europe-wide scale. The political fragmentation of Europe and competition between church and state also hindered the capture and control of academic institutions by rulers. The best scholars would display considerable mobility, moving to the best institutions, where they would find the best peers. The emergence of European universities paved the way to sustained knowledge generation and the growth takeoff that followed the Industrial Revolution.
Award Committee: Romain Wacziarg (Chair), Hélène Rey and Elias Papaioannou.
The EEA warmly congratulates the authors.
The paper is open access - please click here download it.
For full information on the Hicks-Tinbergen Award, and on previous awarded papers, please visit here