In this interview, the recent AMES-CSW Best Paper Award 2026 recipient Cagin Keskin discusses the ideas behind his award-winning research, which explores how firms’ diversification decisions shape innovation, competition, and long-term economic growth. He reflects on the methodological innovations that made the project possible, the policy questions it helps answer, and how this work fits into his broader research agenda on the role of intangibles and firm heterogeneity in modern economies. Continue reading Intangibles, Innovation, and Competition: A Conversation With the Econometric Society Best Paper Awardee
Category Archives: Awards
Meet Our Students: Sofiana Sinani’s paper won the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference
What if parental leave policies shape more than just short-term labor outcomes? While much of the existing research focuses on how such policies impact parents’ careers, Sofiana Sinani, winner of the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference 2025, took a different angle: How do extended periods of maternal care influence children’s future aspirations — especially their choice of university studies and careers? Her project examines a 1995 policy change in the Czech Republic, where mothers were offered the option to extend their leave beyond the standard job-protection period. The results are following: boys exposed to longer maternal care were significantly less likely to apply to stereotypically “female” fields, such as education or healthcare. The research suggests that parental leave doesn’t just affect today’s workforce — it can shape the beliefs and ambitions of the next generation. In this interview, we explore the project that earned Sofiana Sinani the Best Poster Prize at the Royal Economic Society Conference 2025.
Investing in Excellence: An Interview with Tereza, a former Alumni Excellence Fellowship recipient
Tereza has been awarded the Alumni Excellence Fellowship for two academic years (2022/2023 and 2023/2024) for her outstanding academic performance. Continue reading Investing in Excellence: An Interview with Tereza, a former Alumni Excellence Fellowship recipient
Revealing Human Potential: An Interview with Theodor Kouro, Young Economist of the Year
The Czech Economic Society annually awards the “Young Economist of the Year” to economists under the age of 30 who enter the competition by sending their original professional work. The 2023 laureate is Theodor Kouro, a PhD in Economics student at CERGE-EI with the work “Let me Choose What I’m Best at: A Natural Field Experiment with Volunteers.” Continue reading Revealing Human Potential: An Interview with Theodor Kouro, Young Economist of the Year
Filip Staněk is the Global Winner of the M6 Financial Forecasting Competition
Our PhD in Economics candidate Filip Staněk has recently won the first prize in the M6 competition that focuses on forecasts of stock price (returns) and risk. Continue reading Filip Staněk is the Global Winner of the M6 Financial Forecasting Competition
Exploring the Decision Process Behind the Investment Choice
The Czech Economic Society awarded its annual “Young Economist of the Year” prizes to three economists under the age of 30 who submitted their original professional work to the competition. Third place was awarded to a CERGE-EI PhD candidate Ante Šterc and his paper “Limited Consideration in the Investment Fund Choice.” Continue reading Exploring the Decision Process Behind the Investment Choice
Christian Ochsner Awarded for his Study on Populism
CERGE-EI Assistant Professor Christian Ochsner and his colleague Felix Roesel from the ifo Institute in Dresden have been awarded a prize by the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim (ZEW) for their study on populism. The authors of the paper used econometrics to study the electoral outcomes in Austria in connection with the anti-Turkish rhetoric used by populists. Continue reading Christian Ochsner Awarded for his Study on Populism
Economics Allows Systemizing Messy Real-Life Phenomena, Says NET Winner
New Economic Talent (NET) competition Winner Charoo Anand (LSE) focused on the role of discrimination in the mortgage lending race gap in her paper. We were happy to speak with her about her paper as well as about her future plans. When asked about her other talents, Charoo also told us a bit about her non-economic self. Continue reading Economics Allows Systemizing Messy Real-Life Phenomena, Says NET Winner
Those who believe in science must also fight for its values
Professor Gérard Roland (University of California, Berkeley), Visiting Professor at CERGE-EI, has been recently awarded the highest honor from the Czech Academy of Sciences. One of the most influential and successful European economists, admired among CERGE-EI community for his striking humbleness and inspiring thoughts, spoke with us about some of his recent works on China, but also about his first meeting with the co-founder of CERGE-EI, Professor Jan Svejnar. Continue reading Those who believe in science must also fight for its values
From Day One, I Considered My Thesis Rather a Research Project
Third New Economic Talent competition interview is here: meet Sebastian Beug (Humboldt University of Berlin), who was awarded a second place (jointly with Kyung Woong Koh from the Yonsei University) for his paper “Federal Governments and the German Economy – An Empiric Exploration”. Continue reading From Day One, I Considered My Thesis Rather a Research Project