November 9, 2026
The Upjohn Institute is pleased to announce its 2026 Dissertation Award winners. The Institute has sponsored awards each year since 1995 for the best Ph.D. dissertation on employment policies and issues.
This year, the Institute is recognizing two dissertations as joint winners. Casey McQuillan, who received his doctoral degree in economics from Princeton University, is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Brown University and will be an assistant professor of economics at Stockholm University starting in 2027. He is the author of “The Causes and Consequences of Incomplete Unemployment Insurance Take-Up.” Brendan Moore, who received his doctoral degree in economics from Stanford University, is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, and will be an assistant professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame starting in 2027. He is the author of “Incomplete Take-Up, Optimal Policy, and Tax Design: Essays in Labor and Public Economics.”
Multiple chapters of both dissertations were co-written by the two authors, demonstrating a substantial collaborative research effort. McQuillan and Moore will each receive a prize of $2,500.
Casey McQuillan
The Causes and Consequences of Incomplete Unemployment Insurance Take-Up
Casey McQuillan’s dissertation examines why eligible unemployed workers do not claim unemployment insurance (UI) and how benefits affect their labor market outcomes. His research finds that both administrative barriers and imperfect information limit participation, while UI eligibility improves employment hours and earnings among low-income workers.
In a large-scale randomized experiment involving about 50,000 unemployed workers in Washington State, McQuillan finds that informational letters nearly double application rates, particularly among low-wage workers, demonstrating how simple outreach can improve access to public benefits.
Brendan Moore
Incomplete Take-Up, Optimal Policy, and Tax Design: Essays in Labor and Public Economics
Brendan Moore’s dissertation examines how public policy design shapes program participation, worker outcomes, and economic well-being. His research on UI finds that informational outreach nearly doubles application rates, while benefits improve employment, earnings, and job stability among low-income workers. He also finds that expanding eligibility generates $2.57 in social value for every $1.00 of net government spending.
In his dissertation, Moore also explores seasonal consumption taxes in tourism-dependent economies and finds that adjusting tax rates between peak and off-peak seasons could reduce Maine residents’ tax burden by about $19 million without reducing government revenue.
