Our Alumna Sofia attended the 2017 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting with Young Economists
How did you find the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting with Young Economists and how would you best describe your experience after attending it?
Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. The Nobel laureates were eager to hear about the research of us, the young economists, and willing to give us not only academic advice but also to share anecdotes from their professional lives. It was also inspiring to see so many young economists, working on very different areas within the discipline, at one place. And last but not least – the venue was amazing. Lindau is a beautiful island so the conference was very memorable also from this point of view.
What were the most interesting areas that were discussed during the Lindau Meeting?
For me personally, three lectures stick out as particularly relevant to the present and future (not only of economics). The first one was by Professor Pissarides who spoke about “Work in the Age of Robots”. The effects that automatization has had and will have on the labor market, which sectors of the labor market will be affected, and how this process differs from the industrial revolution – those were the main issues covered in his lecture. Second, Professor Tirole spoke about “Moral Reasoning, Markets and Organisations”. Especially these days, (re-)incorporating moral into economic and political debate seems to be relevant more than ever. And finally, Professor Maskin tried to find “A Better Way to Choose Presidents” which was inspired by the 2016 election results in the US. Especially given the recent rise of extremism and populism in politics globally, a reflection on which electoral rule reflects most closely voters’ preferences is worthwhile.
What did you enjoy the most about attending the Lindau Meeting?
Interactions with my peers, which were inspiring, and the opportunity to talk personally to the great minds of our discipline.
For me, the takeaway is that our discipline has become very diverse. The times when economics meant mainly macroeconomic and microeconomic theory or trade and finance are long gone.
I understand that you had the opportunity of presenting your research, how was it received by the attendees?
Yes, I had the honour of presenting my research in front of six Nobel laureates and many young economists who work on related topics. I received positive feedback and good suggestions on how to improve my work and where to look next. The format of the presentations was very similar to the “elevator pitch” – we had 6 minutes each to present our topic and then we briefly received feedback and questions from the Nobel laureates and from our peers. In my opinion, this was a nice way of giving as many young researchers as possible the opportunity to “pitch” their research. The audience who were particularly interested in their topic could approach the presenter afterwards and discuss in more detail. It was a way of giving an exposure to as many people as possible and I appreciated this approach very much (as opposed to a format where only a handful of young researchers presents for an extended period of time each).
In your view, what are the most important takeaways from the Lindau meeting?
For me, the takeaway is that our discipline has become very diverse. The times when economics meant mainly macroeconomic and microeconomic theory or trade and finance are long gone. The discipline became very empirical already some time ago but it is impressive to see in how many (new) directions the empirical economic research is going nowadays. Work of more and more young researchers overlaps with other disciplines such as psychology or demography. So looking beyond the narrowly defined notion of what is economic research is the key for future success.
Interviewed by Dorina Dobre
Master Candidate in Development Studies
Web-editor and coordinator for the Academic Departments
23.11.2017