Associate Professor of Economics Kristina Acri has been awarded the Michael Szenberg Prize for an article she co-authored in The American Economist.

The award-winning article, "Do Restrictions Beget Responsibility? The Case of U.S. Abortion Legislation," co-authored with Associate Professor of Economics Amanda Felkey of Lake Forest College, was selected based on the following criteria: it fills a void in the existing literature, addresses an important topic with critical policy or theoretical implications, is well written, employs sound methodological tools of analysis, demonstrates the importance of economic reasoning, and serves as a model for Omicron Delta Epsilon student members. Acri and Felkey will be honored at a reception in January for their work.

Acri also was quoted by National Public Radio in a piece called "Drugmakers Play the Patent Game to Lock in Prices, Block Competitors," which aired in late September. Acri, an economist and international intellectual property expert who joined the CC faculty in 2007, was named a Thomas Edison Innovation Fellow for 2016-17 by the Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property at the George Mason University School of Law.

Acri, née Lybecker, received B.A. degrees in economics and Latin American Studies from Macalester College and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research analyzes the difficulties of strengthening intellectual property rights protection in developing countries, specifically in the context of the pharmaceutical and environmental technology industries.