Past projects

At the first EEA SCR session held in Milan 2008, the chosen topic was The Evaluation of Economic Research in Europe while in Barcelona 2009 Strengthening Economic Research Funding and Graduate Education in Europe was discussed.  In Glasgow 2010, in occasion of the 25th anniversary of the EEA, the topic was 25 Years of Economic Research in Europe.  In Oslo 2011, a panel discussed Research Funding in Times of Crisis, on looked at how research-funding policies have reacted differently to the financial crisis (from being part of stimulus packages to being an easy-to-cut expenditure), what this may imply for European Research in Economics, and how funding efficiency, and its public perception, can be improved. During Malaga 2012, Richard Blundell (UCL), Paul Seabright (TSE) and Maristella Bottcini (Bocconi, Milan) lead the session Building Successful Research Institutions in Europe.  At Gothenburg 2013, the chosen topic was Disseminating Economic Research In The Policy Debate. The speakers, Erik Berglöf, Diane Coyle, Luis Garicano and Romesh Vaitilingam, provided their views on whether in these times of crisis economists should remain in their ivory tower? They tried to answer if economists should dare to speak when everybody believes that they fail to explain the financial crisis and how economists should share their diagrams and equations with the people when practitioners claim, referring to their cookbooks, to provide better predictions. They looked at whether there was a way for economists to be credible when the landscape of economic research is blurred by the fights of conflicting schools and whether these battles had translated into successes in the design of economic policies. Lastly they discussed whether economists could improve their communication and exchange channels with the other human beings and decision makers and finally if economics and economists were useful!

There were no panel sessions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 as everything was focused on COEURE and the project's workshops (see below)

During Lisbon 2017, the topic was New Administrative Data and New Research Designs in Economics. Magne Mogstad (University of Chicago), Caterina Calsamiglia (CEMFI), Miklos Koren (CEU), and Andrea Weber (CEU) discussed this. 

COEURE, a project funded by FP, is intended to bring together the key stakeholders in the European economic research space – scientists, users of research in the policy community and the private sector, and funders of research in a process of stocktaking, consultation and stakeholder engagement that will led to the formulation of an Economic Research Agenda for Europe (ERAFE). The COEURE website can be accessed here.

During EEA-ESEM Geneva 2016, Sir Richard Blundell, Chair of the EEA Research Committee and EEA representative of EEA on COEURE, organised a session that reviewed the challenges for research in economics in the light of the findings of the COEURE project. A main aim of the session was to evaluate what economics research can contribute to address the pressing policy needs of Europe and indeed the world. Full information on this session, and the slides of the speakers, can be found here.

On Monday October 17, in Brussels, Belgium, the final COEURE congress took place. The congress was a platform to present the results of the COEURE project and discuss the current situation, challenges and advancements relating to funding to economic research in Europe and the role of economic research in the European Commission policy making. In addition, the book “Economics without Borders: A Research Agenda for Europe”, published by Cambridge University Press, was presented. All information on the final congress (including slide presentations of the speakers and the final manifesto - Manifesto for Economic Research in Europe) can be found here

In 2009, the Committee announced their plan to produce a report underlying some of the strengths and weaknesses of current Research Public Funding programmes, making reference to EC funding and funding in some selected European countries or regions. In order to produce the report it was decided to conduct a web-based survey, which was put together by Ramon Marimon and addressed to members of the EEA as well as to the of the top 12.5% RePec listed economists in Europe and the top 25% RePec listed economists from each member country. The objective was that the survey would be of great use to the society in its role of trying to assess the research funding scene in Europe and would enable the EEA to become an effective advocate on behalf of economics research in Europe.

The preliminary results of the Report were presented during the Committee’s session at the 2010 EEA congress and then again during the 5th Max Weber Programme Academic Careers Observatory Conference held at European University Institute during November of the same year. The final Report, completed during the first half of 2011, was presented to members of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and other research organizations with presence in Brussels was presented on July 7 2011 at Bruegel, Brussels. The presentation of the report was successful in letting the Committee’s main findings known to research funding organizations – in the July 27 issue of Research Europe, there was an article entitled “Research grants missing ‘flexibility’, say economists”. The Survey was subsequently extended, by the Academic Careers Observatory of the Max Weber Programme of the EUI, to other social sciences, showing the robustness of most of the conclusions of the EEA report.  To view this report, please contact admin@eeassoc.org.