- American Sociological Association names Zachary Parolin winner of the 2026 William Julius Wilson Early Career Award for research contribution in inequality, poverty and mobility;
- Professor Parolin also receives an honourable mention for the Henrik Enderlein Prize for a European scholar under the age of 40 to have made a mark;
- Both awards follow his 2025 receipt of the David N. Kershaw Award for distinguished contribution to public policy before the age of 40.
Zachary Parolin has been recognised for his work on inequality, poverty and mobility with another early career award.
The American Sociological Association presented the Oxford Professor with the William Julius Wilson Early Career Award at its annual meeting in New York City on 10 August 2026. The award recognises a scholar who has made major contributions to the fields of inequality, poverty, and mobility research within the first decade of their career.
This recognition follows Parolin’s receipt of the 2025 David N. Kershaw Award from Mathematica and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management for distinguished contribution to public policy before the age of 40.
Professor Parolin's research focuses on the measurement, causes, and consequences of poverty, inequality, and social mobility across the United States and European Union. He has recently contributed to papers on How Monopsony Power Distorts Local Labour Markets and Increases Poverty.
As Director of the Economics, Inequality and Opportunity programme at INET Oxford, he oversees four projects, including Labour Markets, Poverty and Income Inequality, Social Mobility and Economic Opportunity and Large Language Models for Inequality Research.
The Wilson Early Career Award Committee consisted of: Siwei Cheng, Chair (New York University), Ann Owens (University of California, Los Angeles), Nathan Wilmers (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Depth, rigor and vitality of scholarship
Announcing the winners, American Sociological Association (ASA) Inequality, Poverty and Mobility section Chair President Hyunjoon Park said that the awards recognize outstanding scholarship and contributions to the field.
"The accomplishments represented by this year’s awardees reflect the depth, rigor, and continuing vitality of our community of scholars on inequality, poverty, and social mobility. On behalf of the section, I extend my sincere congratulations to all award recipients and my gratitude to the award committees for their thoughtful evaluations and dedicated service."
The ASA award followed further recognition for Professor Parolin earlier in the summer, with the Hertie School of Government giving the professor an Honourable mention in its 2026 Henrik Enderlein Prize category for the ‘European researcher under the age of forty, whose work is considered to have made an outstanding contribution in her or his field.’ This was conferred at a meeting in Berlin on 28 May 2026.
Commenting on the recognition, Professor Parolin said:
"I am honoured to receive these two recognitions, which reflect the contributions of many collaborators and mentors over recent years. The awards add further motivation for our research team at Oxford to continue studying how public policy shapes poverty, inequality, and social mobility."
To find out more about the work of Economics, Inequality and Opportunity Programme at INET Oxford, its projects and upcoming events, visit the programme page.
