On November 21, CERGE-EI, in cooperation with the German Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, organized a conference to honor CGEG Director, Jan Švejnar , for winning the IZA Prize in Labor Economics. Švejnar received the prestigious award for research on transition or formerly centrally planned economies, and particularly for his research on economic policy based on high-quality data and analysis, "evidence- based policy," offering concrete proposals on how governments can intervene effectively in economic and social processes.
"This type of research is currently being processed by academic institutions and actively used by governments in developed economies, as it undoubtedly contributes to the efficiency of running the economy. In the Czech Republic this practice is not yet established, and in this regard, it is possible to consider the studies I have done over the past 25 years as fundamental, "commented Jan Švejnar on the importance of his studies.
During the conference, Švejnar chaired a panel discussing the importance of independent, high quality empirical analyses on the formation of government economic policy and its impact on the economic growth of countries. The conference was attended by economists, post-graduate students from CERGE-EI, representatives of the public and private sector, including Tomáš Zima, the rector of Charles University, Jiří Drahoš, president of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Josef Zieleniec, Jiří Rusnok, Karel Janeček and representatives of the economic departments of embassies.
The full summary of the conference can be read on the CERGE-EI website.
Watch CGEG Director,Jan Švejnar, IZA Award Celebration at the CERGE-EI Confernece below:
