On the occasion of the 6th Workshop on the Economics and Politics of Migration, held this May 22 and 23 at the Fundación Ramon Areces in Madrid, we are thrilled to announce the recipient of our first-ever Standard Error Best Paper Prize: Artur Obminski of the Paris School of Economics and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Artur’s outstanding contribution offers a fresh and rigorous perspective on one of today’s most urgent democratic challenges: the integration of migrants in destination countries.

His paper uses high-resolution Google Maps review data to explore how Polish locals responded socially to the arrival of nearly one million refugees after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. By linking reviewer nationality, business location, and neighborhood migrant composition, Artur shows that Polish patrons systematically avoid establishments—especially “third places” like cafés and pubs—frequented by migrants. His analysis reveals a ~22% decline in locals’ odds of visiting these venues for every 10-point rise in the migrant share in a 200 m-by-200 m grid. This finding has powerful implications for understanding the mechanisms of social segregation and integration.

At Standard Error, we believe that democracy thrives when strangers can act together across difference. Artur’s paper is a model of how empirical social science can illuminate both the obstacles and possibilities of this ideal.

We are proud to support his work and look forward to helping prepare this important paper for wider academic and policy audiences.

Please join us in congratulating Artur!

For more about what we do and how we support social science researchers, visit stderr-editors.com.