KfW Sponsorship Prize

Dr Laura Barros, postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of International Economic Policy (Prof Dr Krisztina Kis-Katos), has won the 2025 KfW Sponsorship Prize for her doctoral thesis.

The award honours young researchers whose doctoral theses demonstrate both scientific excellence and practical relevance for development policy. Awarded in cooperation with the Development Economics Committee of the Verein für Socialpolitik e.V. (VfS), it is endowed with EUR 5,000.

In her dissertation, entitled 'Socio-economic and Political Consequences of Labour Market Shocks: Evidence from Brazil', Laura Barros examines the effects of labour market shocks in Brazil on gender- and ethnicity-based wage inequalities, as well as the distributional and political consequences of these shocks.

She demonstrates how trade liberalisation can exacerbate the dual discrimination faced by women belonging to marginalised ethnic groups, and how far-right political platforms gain strength, particularly in regions where men are disproportionately affected by labour market shocks. The final chapter emphasises how negative economic shocks can alter the make-up of local politicians and potentially influence local politics.