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BSE hosts 516 industrial economists for EARIE 2019
Photo: EARIE President John Vickers (University of Oxford) welcomes conference participants
The 46th annual conference of the European Association for Research in Industrial Economics (EARIE 2019), was hosted by the Barcelona School of Economics (GSE) and the PPSRC-IESE (Public-Private Sector Research Center) from August 30 - September 1, 2019 in Barcelona. Over 500 economists from around the world attended this event for European academics in the field of Industrial Economics.
The conference was held at the Ciutadella Campus of Universitat Pompeu Fabra. The academic sessions were complemented with two social events in Barcelona, one at the Born Cultural Center, during which the Young Economists’ Essay Awards were announced; and a dinner at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC).
Brexit, economic models for energy transition, and industrial policy in China among issues discussed
Participants discussed the latest studies related to Industrial Economics, such as Brexit, the power of investment funds, technology and labor markets, the health insurance market, energy transition policies, industrial policy in China, and media and competition, among many other issues. A total of 446 economic researchers presented 443 studies selected from among the 650 submitted.
Among the economists presenting their studies are three of Europe’s most prestigious researchers: John Sutton, from the London School of Economics; John Van Reenen, a leader in the economic campaign against Brexit, currently a professor at MIT; and Jan De Loecker, from the Catholic University of Leuven, who spoke about the rise of market power held by the world’s biggest companies.
Economists Massimo Motta and Tommaso Valletti, the former and current Chief Competition Economist of the European Commission, discussed mergers and competition policy, including current issues such as startup acquisitions by big technology companies, known as "killer acquisitions."
Keynote addresses were given by Kate Ho (Princeton University) on health insurance market design and Alessandro Gavazza (London School of Economics) on industrial organization and household finance.
Young Economists’ Essay Awards at Born Cultural Center, EARIE 2019
Support and organization
The conference was organized by the Barcelona School of Economics and the Public-Private Sector Research Center of IESE Business School with the support of RBB Economics, Google, and the Bank of Spain. The chair of the conference’s local organizing committee was Professor Albert Banal-Estañol (UPF and BSE).