Boston University School of Law Professor James Bessen Receives the Atkinson Prize

Boston University School of Law Professor James Bessen has been honored with the Atkinson Prize, an award given every two years by the Society for the Study of Economic Inequality (ECINEQ) to authors of high-quality articles published in the Journal of Economic Inequality.  

Professor Bessen received the prize alongside his co-authors Erich Denk and Chen Meng for their paper “Perpetuating wage inequality: evidence from salary history bans.” The article examines the effects of salary history bans on private employer wage posting and pay, particularly its impact on women and minorities. The results of this research found that “when employers can access applicants’ salary histories while bargaining over wages, they can take advantage of past inequities, perpetuating inequality.”  

This paper is not only award-winning but has also had direct impact on policy. Along with other works, the research prompted the 2020 White House administration to issue executive orders banning the use of salary histories in federal hiring and was cited in hiring rules for the Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense.  

“Our research shows that salary history bans reduce inequality and shrink gender and race wage gaps,” shares Professor Bessen. “Our work has been an influential aid to legislators. Since 2017, twenty states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have put in place salary history bans.” 

Bessen, Denk, and Meng were honored with the prize during the Eleventh Conference of the Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, from July 9 to 11, 2025.