It seems like there’s no longer a place for economics as we used to know it. A new generation of economists, calling themselves “behavioral economists“, are challenging a basic principle of classic economics: the assumption that humans only make rational decisions. Continue reading People Don’t Just Make Rational Decisions
All posts by Eleanor Hammond
Fiscal Policy Council: Personal Trainer or Watchdog?
This post was prepared by Geghetsik Afunts, a second year PhD student at CERGE-EI.
Do governments need a “Personal Trainer or Watchdog” to achieve objectives such as long-term sustainability of public finances, economic growth or surplus targets? Fiscal watchdogs have existed for a long time in some countries and one of the first European countries was Sweden. But the Chairman of the Swedish Fiscal Policy Council John Hassler says that in practice such institutions are considered more as personal trainers than watchdogs. Continue reading Fiscal Policy Council: Personal Trainer or Watchdog?
Energy economics: on bread, yetis and Utopia
Are you charged up by change? Do you thrive on uncertainty? Are you turned on by the quirky? Answer yes to all of the above and you might want to delve deeper into the field of energy economics. And with energy security fast becoming a priority on national agendas, there are increasing career opportunities for economists with specialized energy expertise. Continue reading Energy economics: on bread, yetis and Utopia
CERGE-EI Founder Jan Švejnar wins the 2015 IZA Prize in Labor Economics
The IZA Prize in Labor Economics is widely considered to be the field’s most prestigious award. So we are delighted that the 2015 prize has been awarded to CERGE-EI Founder, Professor Jan Švejnar. He is the latest in a line of distinguished recipients that includes Professors Jacob Mincer, Orley Ashenfelter, David Card, Alan Krueger, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides. Continue reading CERGE-EI Founder Jan Švejnar wins the 2015 IZA Prize in Labor Economics
A recipe for inspiration
Take one ambitious and curious junior researcher. Give him three months in a city that is home to some of the world’s top learning institutions. Offer him the chance to test his ideas with thought leaders in his field. What happened? We asked Vojta Bartos.
Vojta specialises in development and behavioral economics. He is currently investigating how extreme and seasonal shocks impact the enforcement of social norms, focusing on agricultural communities in Afghanistan. He spent the fall semester of 2014 at New York University. Now back in Prague, he shared his recent experience with us.
Continue reading A recipe for inspiration