Welcoming economists and economic policy experts from the German-speaking countries, and international colleagues, to Innsbruck offers more than just an opportunity to exchange the latest scientific findings. Above all, it creates space for personal encounters, new collaborations, and dialogue across disciplinary and national boundaries. A central theme of this year’s conference was the latest developments in behavioral economics and their relevance for economic policy decisions, communication, and the design of economic frameworks.
The University of Innsbruck sees itself not merely as the venue, but as an active host and an important part of an international scientific network. With the support of the Austrian National Bank, the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO), the Institute of Advanced Studies (IHS), the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the German economic research institutes, and the Deutsche Bundesbank, the opportunity to bring leading representatives of economic research together in Innsbruck strengthens the visibility of the location while also opening up new perspectives and connections for researchers at the University of Innsbruck.
Philipp Strack (Yale University) during his keynote address
Keynote by Ulrike Malmendier (University of California, Berkeley)
Keynote by Matthew Rabin (Harvard University)
The conference team from the University of Innsbruck with VfS President Klaus M. Schmidt (LMU Munich)
Address by Vice-Rector Janette Walde at the Conference Dinner
At a champagne reception, participants had the opportunity to mingle and exchange ideas
Presentation of the Stolper Prize to Gabriel Felbermayr
One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation of the prestigious Stolper Prize to Gabriel Felbermayr, President of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO). He was honored for the significant impact of his research on public economic policy debates in Austria and Germany. In his acceptance speech, Felbermayr turned his attention to fundamental changes in the international economic order.
Beliefs such as a commitment to free trade and open technological development are increasingly being called into question by increasingly aggressive trade conflicts and the strategic use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence. From this, Felbermayr argued for an approach to economics and policy advice that places greater emphasis on political conflicts and societal fault lines.
Address by Gabriel Felbermayr, Director of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO), at the BTV reception
Martin Kocher, Governor of the Austrian National Bank and an alumnus of the University of Innsbruck, echoed this assessment in his contributions. He particularly emphasized the importance of increasingly polarized individual expectations and perceptions, also with regard to cyclical and broader macroeconomic developments.
Panel discussion with Martin Kocher (Austrian National Bank, University of Vienna), Ulrike Malmendier (University of California, Berkeley), Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich), and Urs Fischbacher (University of Konstanz)
For Markus Walzl, organizer of the conference and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Statistics, this is precisely where a central task of economics lies: “When worldviews and fundamental beliefs continue to drift further apart, and reforms are seen primarily as a zero-sum game between winners and losers, building the necessary consensus becomes more difficult and fragile. This is precisely why we need to view progress as an opportunity for everyone, create something new together, and learn how to benefit from one another – otherwise, polarization and the international and domestic conflicts associated with it will continue to intensify.”
Welcome address by Dean Markus Walzl at the BTV reception
The annual conference provided a clear demonstration of the contribution that academia, and the University of Innsbruck in particular, can make in this regard: creating spaces where different perspectives can be exchanged, scientific knowledge can be developed, and new approaches can be jointly explored.
The University of Innsbruck is delighted to have hosted more than 600 researchers over the past few days, thereby making an important contribution to academic exchange in the German-speaking world and with researchers from around the globe. The fact that experts from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as researchers from institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, came to Innsbruck to present their work, engage in discussions, and build new connections is both a recognition of the academic work being carried out at the university and an opportunity to further strengthen the University of Innsbruck’s position as an international hub for scholarly dialogue.
Science thrives on personal encounters – and with this conference, the University of Innsbruck has once again demonstrated the importance of creating spaces for such encounters and its ability to provide them.
The organizing team from the Faculty of Economics and Statistics and the Research Area EPoS (Economy, Politics, and Society) would like to thank all members of the university who worked together so successfully on site to make this conference a success.
(Eva Zipperle-Mirwald, Markus Walzl und Tobias Haller)
More highlights of the event: Verein für Socialpolitik