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18 July 2025

Dr Sabine D'Costa awarded Moss Madden Memorial Medal for work on women’s wages

Dr Sabine D’Costa, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Westminster, has been awarded the Moss Madden Memorial Medal for the best paper published in regional science in 2024 for her work on women's urban wage premium.

Sabine D'Costa headshot

She received the medal on 19 June at the annual Conference of the Regional Science Association International - British and Irish Section (RSAI-BIS). The medal recognises her work on women's urban wage premium, in which workers earn more in cities compared to rural areas. Her research investigates why women’s urban wage premium was more than twice as large as men’s and why that difference has faded since the 2008 financial crisis. Her work also shows that women now face a wage growth penalty compared to men when they move jobs from cities to rural areas.  

The RSAI-BIS, founded in 1968, annually awards the Moss Madden Memorial Medal to the member(s) of the Section who author the best article on regional science published in a particular calendar year. The RSAI-BIS aims to promote the advancement and circulation of regional science among academics and practitioners internationally. To this end, its members develop internationally recognised regional science research in economics, geography, planning and others relevant disciplines, and contribute to topical discussions in the policy and business arenas.

About receiving the medal, Dr D’Costa said: “It's a great honour for me to be recognised by the RSAI-BIS. I have always enjoyed presenting my research at the Section's conferences, where I have found the atmosphere to be truly encouraging and supportive. This medal now comes as a huge reward for the many years of work that have culminated in this paper and I'm of course also very grateful to the editor and referees for helping to shape it into what it is now.”

Dr D’Costa’s research directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5: Gender Equality, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Learn more about Accounting and Finance courses at the University of Westminster.

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