Laboratoire d'économie appliquée

Laboratoire d'économie appliquée
Name	Laboratoire d'économie appliquée
Established	1970s
Type	Research laboratory
Location	Paris, France
Director	Alain Bentolila
Affiliation	Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Laboratoire d'économie appliquée is a French research laboratory focused on applied economic analysis, policy evaluation, and quantitative modeling. The laboratory conducts empirical studies on labor markets, public finance, industrial organization, development, urban economics, and environmental regulation, engaging with academic institutions, public agencies, and international organizations. Its work integrates microeconometric methods, computable general equilibrium modeling, and experimental methods to inform policy debates in France, the European Union, and developing countries.

History

The laboratory traces its intellectual roots to postwar links between École des hautes études en sciences sociales scholars, INSEE, and the reform agendas associated with the Fourth Republic (France) and later Fifth Republic (France). In the 1970s and 1980s, scholars affiliated with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CNRS, and École Polytechnique contributed to early programmatic work that intersected with research agendas at OECD, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. During the 1990s the laboratory deepened empirical methods influenced by scholars from London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, while engaging in policy evaluations commissioned by Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Agence Française de Développement, and the European Commission. In the 2000s and 2010s, collaborations expanded with Centre for Economic Policy Research, IZA Institute of Labor Economics, National Bureau of Economic Research, and research centers at Université de Strasbourg and Sciences Po. Recent decades saw methodological cross-fertilization with teams at INSEE, Fondation nationale des sciences politiques, Université Lyon 2, and École Normale Supérieure (Paris).

Research Areas

The laboratory's research spans multiple applied domains. In labor market analysis it studies unemployment dynamics, wage formation, and vocational training using microdata from DARES, INSEE, and administrative datasets shared with Pôle emploi and Ministry of Labour (France). Public finance work examines taxation, social transfers, and fiscal federalism in comparative perspective with case studies referencing European Central Bank, Bundesbank, and Bank of England policy regimes. Industrial organization projects investigate competition policy, network industries, and platform markets with links to work by researchers at Autorité de la concurrence (France), Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes and comparative cases in United States, Germany, and United Kingdom. Development economics studies draw on field experiments and randomized controlled trials in partnership with Agence Française de Développement, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and World Bank country teams in Mali, Senegal, and Madagascar. Environmental and energy economics projects model carbon pricing, emissions trading, and renewables policy in context of the Paris Agreement, European Green Deal, and national strategies formulated by ADEME. Methodological strands include applied microeconometrics, causal inference, structural modeling, and computational general equilibrium techniques popularized by groups at Stanford University, Princeton University, and University of Chicago.

Organization and Staff

The laboratory is organized into thematic units mirroring its research areas and hosts senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, PhD candidates, and administrative staff. Core academic affiliations include Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CNRS, and visiting scholars from Harvard Kennedy School, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University. Senior faculty have held positions within national bodies such as Conseil d'Analyse Économique, Cour des comptes, and advisory roles for the European Commission and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The staff roster features applied theorists, econometricians, and policy analysts who have published in outlets associated with American Economic Association, Royal Economic Society, and European Economic Association conferences. Training programs include doctoral seminars co-taught with École d'économie de Paris and exchange fellowships with University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Collaborative networks span public agencies, international organizations, and private foundations. Notable partners include INSEE, DARES, Ministry of Education (France), Agence Française de Développement, World Bank, European Commission, and think tanks such as Institut Montaigne and Terra Nova (think tank). Academic linkages extend to London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, National Bureau of Economic Research, Centre for Economic Policy Research, and regional universities like Université de Lyon and Université de Lille. The laboratory participates in EU-funded consortia under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programs and contributes expertise to international assessments by OECD and UNDP.

Publications and Impact

Research outputs include working papers, peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, and technical reports. The laboratory's publications appear in journals that attract contributions from American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economy, and specialized European outlets linked to Revue économique and Économie et Statistique. Policy briefs have informed reforms considered by Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Ministry of Labour (France), and cabinet discussions influenced by analyses presented to Assemblée nationale (France) committees and Conseil d'État. External impact is evidenced by citations in reports from European Central Bank, International Labour Organization, and World Bank, and by media engagement with outlets such as Le Monde, Les Échos, and France Inter.

Funding and Resources

Funding sources include competitive grants from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, project funding from the European Commission, contracts with Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), and donations from foundations such as Fondation de France and international philanthropic partners like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The laboratory maintains high-performance computing resources for large-scale estimation, secure data access through partnerships with INSEE and secured research infrastructures supported by CNRS and university data centers. Administrative support for grant management and ethics oversight follows procedures aligned with research councils in France and European funding agencies.

Category:Research institutes in France Category:Economics research institutes