2012 archive
School of Economics news archive from 2012.
ERC Starting Grant
The School of Economics has started a new project on the 1st of Sept 2012, funded through an ERC Starting Grant and entitled “Labor Heterogeneity in Search Markets” (Grant No 284119, value €1.170.000).
The PI is Prof. Philipp Kircher.
The aim of this research project is to change our understanding of labor markets by viewing both the mobility as well as the frictions in the market as a consequence of long-term worker heterogeneity. While this view is implicit in much of the work on labor markets, often it is not explicitly modelled.
We will explore whether changes to this ability or learning about its true level can account for the large amount of occupational mobility that is observed in the data, as well as the patterns of this mobility that we document within the project.
We will also see if the need to interview workers to determine their ability can account for the persistently high frictional unemployment despite the fact that most other job search costs have decreased substantially with modern information technology.
And we will consider the matching between worker of different ability and firms of different productivity, and explore how job centers should optimally advise job seekers in their job search activities given that unsuccessful job interviews impose costs both on firms and workers.
View Philipp Kircher's profile
Looking for an Assistant Professor Job and Working in Europe
Maia Güell and José V. Rodríguez Mora have written an article for the Newsletter of the 'Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession' of the American Economics Association. The article is reflecting on the International Job Market for Economists, in particular discussing Spain and the UK.
New appointments
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Sean Brocklebank and Mike Watts have been appointed Senior Teaching Fellows.
Their profiles are available from the academic pages.
Academic profile pages
Economics student wins TARGETjobs' First Year of the Year
On Friday 13th April, at East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, TARGETjobs had the finals of their national Undergraduate of the Year Awards event and we are delighted to say that the First Year of the Year Award went to Roberta Kovacs who is studying Economics at Edinburgh. The award was sponsored by Ernst & Young and, after a series of online tests, application forms, interviews and assessment exercises, Roberta emerged as winner. Ernst & Young only targeted a relatively small number of universities and so she beat off competition from other excellent students from other excellent universities.
The award was a summer internship and an invitation to join interns from around the world at Ernst & Young’s three-day Leadership Conference in Florida.
Well done Roberta!
This is the fourth year that EUSA has awarded Teaching Awards, and the scheme is fully supported by the University. Each year has seen thousands of nominations by students of their lecturers, tutors, courses and departments. This year, the Awards received over 4000 nominations.
We are very proud to say that Dimitra Politi was the winner of Best Director of Studies. Congratulations Dimitra - we are very proud of you.
Kevin Houston graduated from the first year of the Carbon Management MSc, then set up a University spin-off consultancy business called Carbon Masters with two other graduates.
The consultancy has been highly successful and one sign of this success is that Kevin is the guest speaker alongside Lord Nick Stern at a FCO organised conference, with Chambers of Commerce, in Ecuador on 30th March.