Abhay Aneja, a professor at Berkeley Law whose scholarship examines how legal and political institutions shape economic development and social inequality, has been awarded the 2026 Donald M. Ephraim Prize in Law and Economics by the University of Chicago Law School.

Established through the generous support of Donald M. Ephraim, '55, the prize recognizes an outstanding scholar in law and economics who is early in their academic career and whose work has made a significant contribution to the field.

Trained as both a lawyer and a quantitative social scientist, Aneja studies how institutions influence economic outcomes and social inequality in both domestic and comparative settings. His scholarship spans multiple areas of law and public policy, using empirical methods to illuminate the relationship between legal systems, political institutions, and human welfare. 

"Abhay's scholarship is impressive in its combination of methodological rigor and its willingness to explore big questions about the law," said William H. J. Hubbard, Deputy Dean and Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics at the University of Chicago Law School. "For example, Abhay’s research has shown how the segregation of the federal civil service under Woodrow Wilson had long-term effects, including on home ownership for Black civil servants and on educational outcomes for their children. I like to use this paper in my teaching, because it is equally valuable for teaching empirical methods as it is for understanding structural racism.  He is an exceptionally deserving recipient of the Donald M. Ephraim Prize."

Aneja said he was honored to receive the recognition.

"I’m very grateful to receive this prize," Aneja said. "Law and economics is a vibrant field today. There’s so much exciting work underway across every field of law. I just feel fortunate to always be learning from colleagues in this community."

Aneja's work exemplifies the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of law and economics. It draws on tools from law, economics, history, and political science, and explores questions that cut across fields such as discrimination, crime, administrative law, election law, and comparative law. By combining careful empirical analysis and novel data collection with questions of broad legal and social significance, he has helped advance scholarly understanding of the ways legal systems shape economic and social outcomes.

The Ephraim Prize reflects the University of Chicago Law School's longstanding leadership in the field of law and economics. Awarded biennially, it recognizes emerging scholars whose research has made a substantial impact on the discipline and whose work promises to shape its future development. 

Aneja joins a distinguished group of previous recipients, including Jacob Goldin, the Richard M. Lipton Professor of Tax Law at the University of Chicago Law School, who received the prize in 2024, and Megan T. Stevenson, the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation Professor of Law and Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia, who received the inaugural prize in 2023.

Aneja will deliver the Ephraim Lecture on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in the Law School's moot courtroom.