2008 archive
School of Economics news archive from 2008.
Senior honours reception
We held the first of what is hoped will be an annual Senior Honours event to help our students to "network" outwith the academic environment. It was very well attended and pronounced enjoyable and helpful by the students who attended.
Global Financial Crisis discussion panel November 2008
Dr. Simon Clark chaired a panel comprising Professors Andy Snell and José V. Rodríguez Mora and Colin Stewart, Citi's Country Head for Scotland who gave brief talks then answered questions from a sizeable audience of students and staff at a recent event, organised jointly with the student Economics Society.
Top students win Morgan Stanley prizes
The fifteen students awarded highest marks in Economics courses across each year of the degree programme were presented with their prizes in a recent ceremony attended by the students, staff, representatives of Morgan Stanley--including Edinburgh University alumna now working at Morgan Stanley in London, who came up with the idea.
Economists helping to manage carbon
The MSc in Carbon Management was launched in September 2008 in a landmark collaboration with the School of Geosciences and University of Edinburgh Business School.Over 35 Carbon Masters began their studies with us in this academic year. The University offers five scholarships of £1,000 each to students who undertake the MSc in Carbon Management. The programme is now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 academic year.
Prof. Martin Fransman awarded 2008 Schumpeter Prize
Prof. Martin Fransman was awarded the 2008 Schumpeter Prize for his book, The New ICT Ecosystem - Implications for Europe. The award was made by the International Joseph Alois Schumpeter Society at its annual conference in Rio de Janeiro. There were two other co-winners, Thomas K McCraw of Harvard Business School and Mario Amendola/Jean-Luc Gaffard from the University of Roma La Sapienza and the University of Nice.
Executive committee member of the European Association of Labour Economists elected
Prof. Maia Güell has been elected Executive Committee Member of the European Association of Labour Economists for 3 years starting this September.
Intergenerational Mobility Conference June 2008
This three day Conference (27-29 June) was held at the University of Edinburgh and organised by Roland Bénabou (University of Princeton), Maia Güell (University of Edinburgh), José V. Rodríguez Mora (University of Edinburgh) and Gary Solon (University of Michigan State).
On Friday, participants discussed two themes: Mobility and Social Groups followed by Mobility Time Trends. On Saturday, participants discussed Mobility and Gender followed by Talent, Education and Mobility. And finally, on Sunday the participants looked at Cross-country Comparisons of Mobility. Conference papers are available from the website.
The Emergence of Institutions Workshop May 2008
A two day event on 16-17 May was organised by Dr. Stéphane Straub (now at University of Toulouse) and Dr. Santi Sánchez-Pagés ( University of Edinburgh) and brought academics to Edinburgh from all around the world including: Emmanuelle Auriol, Eric Brousseau, James Fearon, Giovanni Immordino, Chris Kingston, Kai Konrad, Roger Lagunoff, Jean-Philippe Platteau and Mariano Tommasi. Conference papers are available from the website.
Econometric Society gives exclusive honours to John Moore and Jonathan Thomas
John Moore FBA, George Watson’s and Daniel Stewart’s Chair of Political Economy at the University of Edinburgh, has recently been elected to the Presidency of The Econometric Society. (See the official announcement here.) He is currently a Vice President of the organisation and will become President in 2010. As President, he will make the keynote address to the World Congress of the Society in Shanghai. The Congress, which is held only every five years, represents one of the world’s largest international gatherings of economists.
The Econometric Society is the most prestigious learned society in the field of economics, with a world-wide membership. Its remit is to recognise and encourage path-breaking research in economic theory and econometrics.
Past presidents of the Society include John Maynard Keynes, Irving Fisher and many Nobel prize winners in economics, such as Amartya Sen and James Mirrlees. Being elected President indicates recognition by one’s peers of true leadership within the profession.
As a result of his election, Professor Moore will automatically become First Vice-President in 2009 and President in 2010.
At the same time University of Edinburgh Economics Professor Jonathan Thomas FBA has been elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society. (See the official announcement here.) This is an exclusive honour with only about 400 active Fellows world-wide.