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| Institute for Empirical Research in Economics | |
|---|---|
| Name | Institute for Empirical Research in Economics |
| Established | 1990s |
| Location | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Affiliation | University of Zurich |
| Director | Ernst Fehr |
| Fields | Econometrics, Microeconomics, Behavioral economics |
Institute for Empirical Research in Economics.
The Institute for Empirical Research in Economics is a research unit affiliated with the University of Zurich that concentrates on quantitative and experimental investigation of decision-making, market behavior, and policy evaluation. It combines methods from econometrics, experimental economics, and labor economics to address questions relevant to public policy, corporate strategy, and international organizations. The institute engages with scholars from institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London School of Economics, and University of Chicago.
Founded in the 1990s within the framework of the University of Zurich, the institute emerged during a period marked by the rise of behavioral economics and renewed emphasis on microeconometric techniques popularized by scholars at Princeton University and Stanford University. Early collaborations included partners from Swiss National Science Foundation and the European Research Council, and the institute grew alongside influential projects linked to researchers associated with Max Planck Society and Centre for Economic Policy Research. Over time it developed ties to experimental laboratories similar to those at University of California, Berkeley and Yale University, and it hosted visiting fellows from London Business School and Columbia University.
The institute's mission prioritizes rigorous empirical testing of theories derived from labor economics, public choice, and industrial organization. Research agendas emphasize causal identification, policy-relevant experiments, and replication standards promoted by groups at National Bureau of Economic Research and Institute for Fiscal Studies. Topics include human capital formation explored in work related to OECD, redistribution themes found in studies by World Bank researchers, and market design questions resonant with programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The institute advances methodological innovation through connections to American Economic Association initiatives and contributes to debates addressed at conferences like those of European Economic Association and Econometric Society.
Governance is structured around an academic director, an advisory board composed of faculty from the University of Zurich and external scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University, and ETH Zurich, and an administrative office that liaises with funding bodies such as the Swiss National Science Foundation and European Commission. The institute's internal organization organizes research into themed groups mirroring divisions at National Bureau of Economic Research and IZA Institute of Labor Economics, with committees overseeing ethics modeled on procedures from World Health Organization-influenced review practices. Senior faculty appointments have included scholars who trained at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Yale University.
Active programs encompass experimental studies of cooperation and trust bearing resemblance to work by Ernst Fehr and collaborators, field experiments in development influenced by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo-style designs, and structural econometric analyses similar to traditions at Cowles Foundation and NBER. Projects have investigated taxation regimes compared against policy discussions at European Commission and International Monetary Fund, labor-market interventions evaluated alongside Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development analyses, and auction mechanisms tied to research at University of Toulouse. The institute has run randomized controlled trials in partnership with municipal authorities comparable to initiatives involving Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded programs and undertaken large-scale laboratory experiments reflecting methodologies from Center for Experimental Social Science.
Scholarly outputs include articles in journals such as American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Studies, and Econometrica. The institute curates datasets and replication archives patterned after repositories maintained by ICPSR and Harvard Dataverse, and contributes code and materials to platforms used by researchers at Stanford University and Princeton University. Working papers circulate through networks like CEPR Discussion Papers and NBER Working Papers, and findings are presented at venues including Allianz Forum and panels at World Economic Forum events.
The institute collaborates with international partners such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, and research centers at University of Cambridge and ETH Zurich. It maintains academic exchange programs with Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and London School of Economics and partners with policy groups including Swiss Federal Statistical Office and NGOs active in development projects akin to Save the Children initiatives. Industry collaborations have involved firms comparable to projects with Google and Microsoft research teams and partnerships with financial institutions like UBS and Credit Suisse for applied studies.
Faculty and alumni have included scholars trained at University of Chicago, Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of Oxford; notable names connected through visiting positions or joint research networks include recipients of awards such as the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, fellows of the Econometric Society, and members of editorial boards for Journal of Finance and American Economic Review. Alumni have taken posts at institutions like Yale University, Stanford University, London School of Economics, ETH Zurich, University of Pennsylvania, and policy roles at European Commission and OECD.
Category:Research institutes in Switzerland