Our premier prize for exceptional policy- and development-focused research, this award was established through a joint agreement between AIB and UNCTAD’s division of Investment and Enterprise and is intended to recognize the achievements of doctoral students and early-career researchers.

History of the Award

In 2019, the UNCTAD Division of Investment and Enterprise (DIAE) and the Academy of International Business (AIB) jointly established an award for the best young academic research work on international investment and development. The award is intended to confer special recognition on PhD students and early career researchers.

UNCTAD and AIB encourage contributions that provide state-of-the-art knowledge and understanding of the activities conducted by, and the development impact of, multinational enterprises and other international investors, considering economic, institutional, social, environmental or cultural aspects.

Selection Process

The winner is chosen by an official Selection Committee according to the criteria established in the UNCTAD-AIB joint award agreement. Finalists will present their work in a Special Session at the AIB Conference, and the winner will be announced during the Awards Ceremony. Awardees receive an official certificate of recognition at AIB’s annual meeting, an invitation to apply for a three-month consultancy with UNCTAD’s Division of Investment and Enterprise, and the opportunity to publish their winning paper in the peer-reviewed UNCTAD journal Transnational Corporations.

Past Winners

2023

Winner(s): Pascal Simon Mayer (1); Christopher Sabel (2)
Affiliation(s): (1) University of Muenster; (2) Erasmus University of Rotterdam
Article: Policy Support Schemes and MNE Investment Location Choice

2022

Winner(s): Zarlasht Muhammad Razeq
Affiliation(s): McGill University
Article: Deep Trade Integration and North-South Participation in Global Value Chains

2021

Winner(s): Baptiste Souillard
Affiliation(s): Université Libre de Bruxelles
Article: The Indirect Effect of Import Competition on Corporate Tax Avoidance 

2020

Winner(s): Yamlaksira Getachew
Affiliation(s): Loyola Marymount University
Article: Contract Enforcement Institutions and MNE Integration Strategies: Implications for Exit from The Least-Developed Countries