A research paper co-authored by Erasmus School of Economics’ Pilar Garcia-Gomez, Owen O'Donnell, and Carlos Riumalló-Herl, together with Pierre Koning from VU Amsterdam, has been awarded the prestigious Raymond Vernon Memorial Award. The prize is given annually by the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management to recognise excellence in research published in the journal.
Uncertainty in disability insurance applications
The winning article, “Selective exercise of discretion in disability insurance awards”, examines how disability insurance applications are assessed in the Netherlands. While the system is designed to be highly rule-based, the researchers show that assessors still differ in their decisions, and that these differences are not random.
Assessors are more likely to use their discretion in favour of applicants with lower wages, compared to those earning higher wages. This means that low-wage applicants often benefit from the system, but also face greater uncertainty: their outcome depends more heavily on which assessor they happen to be assigned. The study concludes that although strict rules can reduce variations in decisions, they cannot fully eliminate them.
Recognition during fall research conference
The Vernon Memorial Award is presented each year to the best paper published in JPAM’s current volume. The winning authors share a cash prize of $1,000, receive formal recognition in the journal, and are honoured during the annual Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference.
This year’s ceremony took place from 13–15 November in Seattle, Washington, where co-author Carlos Riumalló-Herl accepted the award on behalf of the team.
The award highlights the relevance of the study’s findings for policy debates on disability insurance and welfare systems more broadly. By showing how discretion operates even in a tightly regulated setting, the research provides important insights into fairness and consistency in the allocation of social benefits.
