The jury, made up of Alessandra Faggian (RSAI Fellow), Terciane Sabadini-Carvalho (RSPP Editor), Andrea Caragliu (RSPP EiC), Dan Rickman (RSAI Fellow), and Yoshiro Higano (RSAI Fellow), selected the following paper published by Regional Science, Policy & Practice as recipient of the 2026 RSPP best paper award:

Teixeira, D. N., Santos, G. F., & Carmo, T. O. (2025). Gender gap and local economic diversity in microfinance: Evidence from the microcredit program in Brazil. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 17(9), 100217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100217

The jury provided the following motivation:

The paper by Diego Teixeira, Gervásio Santos, and Tyago Carmo enters the literature tackling the financial aspects of the gender gap. With the application of sophisticated econometric techniques, including PSM, Instrumental Variables, and logistic regressions, the authors document the existence of a substantial and statistically significant gender gap in the CrediBahia program in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Their findings suggest a lower probability of default and higher chances of profits for women engaged in the microcredit program with respect to males. The paper perfectly fits the scope of the journal, and highlights the spatial aspects in the assessment of the impact of a local policy. Congratulations to the authors!

Congratulations to the prize winners on their achievement!