Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri’s Post

👏 Dr Ying Dai wins international prize The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure (Campop) student won the International Economic History Association's (IEHA) prize for the best PhD thesis on 20th and 21st-century economic history, globally, over the last 3 years. ➡️ The prize is among 3 awards presented by the IEHA, as part of its triennial World Economic History Congress (WEHC), an international and interdisciplinary event, with economic history at its core. ➡️ The IEHA awards 3 prizes across 3 time periods, for the best PhD thesis globally in economic history over the preceding 3 years. Dr Dai won the prize for modern economic history. 🎤 Dr Dai, said: "The photo was taken in the Campop office, where I was explaining my dissertation to my son after my graduation. The office is where the dissertation was born - it was about the same age as my son when the photo was taken. On the desk, there's a card containing encouragement from my supervisors, and a cup from Murray Edwards College, where I spent many nights in the library." ✒️ Dr Dai's thesis, 'The occupational structure of the Yangtze Valley in the twentieth century,' illuminates the macro structures in economic development with individual-level data from jiapu, Chinese lineage genealogies. ➡️ The project, for the first time worldwide, provides long-term data on by-employment for both men and women in broad regions. ➡️ It also opens new opportunities to understand the history of labour in China from perspectives such as occupational change over the lifetime, spousal occupations, and intergenerational occupational mobility.   🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eNAqTJUT

In her PhD thesis in International Relations/Political Science, Jaewon Kim explores how global economic integration affects the way countries manage skills and education. She shows that participation in global value chains can create specific risks for workers by influencing the kinds of skills that are demanded. It can also reshape national education spending, and even lead governments to privatise public services like primary education. 👉 https://lnkd.in/et83dnta #educationpolicies #labourstudies #politicaleconony With the Jury : Liliana Andonova, Sung Min Rho, Chanwoong Baek and Gita Steiner-Khamsi

Professor Ted Gerber, University of Wisconsin at Madison will present a lecture at NewUU Title: Market transition and social stratification: key findings from more than three decades of comparative research   Abstract: The transitions from state socialism to market economies in the late 20th century represented profound transformation in virtually all aspects of the economic and social lives of the populations who experienced it. The lecture provides an overview of research by sociologists and economists that has sought to describe, explain, and theorize systematic dynamics of social stratification within and differences between post-transition societies. It covers the main patterns of differing macroeconomic trajectories of post-transition countries, the debate over the seminal Market Transition Theory (MTT) proposed by Victor Nee in reference to the case of China, and comparative studies that have moved beyond the debate over MTT by considering other domains, sources, outcomes and processes of inequality and social stratification. Heterogeneous trends in inequality and social stratification of transition countries in question suggest there is still room to theorize divergent outcomes, and there remains much to be learned about the effects on inequality of transitions from socialism. When: 20 October, 2 pm Tashkent time Where: U.C.A. second floor Register to participate: https://lnkd.in/gtY8xNdU 

New Opinion Piece out today: 'How competition fuels learning: Skills, wages, and productivity in modern labor market' by Alexander Willén at Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and mikko silliman at Aalto University. #humancapital #skills #labormarketcompetition. -> "Competition drives learning as workers thrive with choice, and firms innovate under pressure". https://lnkd.in/e3xzRmZe

https://lnkd.in/gX-rHr2D "Development must deliver for all segments of society, adding that Phase II should become a true "corridor of livelihood", benefiting farmers, workers, and small entrepreneurs. He also noted that Pakistan hopes to draw lessons from China's poverty alleviation experience." "Pakistan plans to train 10,000 PhD students over the next decade at China's top 50 universities in fields such as artificial intelligence, emerging sciences, engineering, and new technologies, to build a strong foundation for a technology- and innovation-driven economy."

The Greek #CafeEconomy or "The "Elephant in the room" - new study by #LSE Observatory. ‼️ We are aware - we speak about the structural vulnerabilities of the #AFSA sector locally, yet we need to act ASAP. ‼️HR functions of the AFSA sector are key to supporting the turnaround of the dystopia in the sector, which is the largest local employer. Once upon a time, it was the call for the HR in the production sector to drive structural re-engineering for the people. Nowadays, its the HR of the AFSA sector that is on call. Let's see some significant data about the sector from the newly released study: 🔶️ Employment increased 85% 🔶️ Gross value added +11% 🔶️ Labor productivity decreased by 16% (2009-2024) 🔶️ Real wages dropped 35% and 60% in the tourism sector 🔶️ Overeducated & underpaid precarious or PT workforce #Employment #Tourism #GreekEconomy #HR #HRConsulting #ExecutiveCoaching #MindfulLeadership #Leadership #Wages #PresenceInYourCareer #PresenceInYourBusiness #PresenceInYourLife #Counseling #MBCT #MentalHealth #WellBeing #EmployeeWellness

Nova School of Business and Economics SBE, in partnership with Fundação Amélia de Mello, is launching a Social Innovation Grant to support researchers turning ideas into measurable social change. This edition focuses on projects that drive social mobility and create sustainable solutions in education, active ageing, migration, or health. Apply by March 13, 2026 and help shape a more inclusive and resilient society. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dk4uH2tc #NovaSBE #NovaSBEResearch #SocialInnovation #ResearchGrant

📢 Publication Announcement I am pleased to announce the publication of my article, co-authored with Prof. Carlos Azzoni, titled “Skills and Regional Dynamics”, in Papers in Regional Science, one of the leading journals in regional and spatial economics. This study proposes a novel approach to measuring human capital, focusing not on years of schooling but on the sophistication of work actually performed. By analyzing microdata on millions of formal manufacturing workers across Brazil (2003–2019) through spatial econometric models, we find that: Regions where workers perform more complex tasks, requiring cognitive and social abilities, advance faster in industrial upgrading; Skill sophistication diffuses spatially, with neighboring regions benefiting from one another’s progress, thus contributing to the reduction of regional inequalities in manufacturing. These findings emphasize that what people do at work may be more informative than how long they studied. Recognizing the geography of skills is important for understanding patterns of regional development and for designing effective industrial and education policies. Access the article (open access): https://lnkd.in/dnFTPKAc #RegionalEconomics #SpatialEconometrics #Skills #HumanCapital #EconomicGeography #Development #RegionalInequality #PiRS

Are institutions the key drivers of economic development? Last year’s Nobel Prize in Economics went to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson for their research showing how institutions shape prosperity. Their book, Why Nations Fail, argues that 'inclusive institutions' – strong rule of law, open markets and broad participation – are essential for long-term economic growth. By contrast, 'extractive institutions' can deliver short-term gains but eventually hit a ceiling because they suppress innovation and competition. Key insights from the book: 👉 Inclusive institutions reward effort, encourage investment and enable creative destruction – the process that keeps economies dynamic. 👉 Extractive institutions concentrate power, distort incentives and block renewal. 👉 Sustained prosperity depends on the ability to adapt and share the benefits of growth. But I’m not convinced institutions tell the whole story. Geography and culture shape institutions, and also what kind of economy is possible. Resource endowments, terrain and distance matter. Australia’s economy, for example, has been shaped as much by its size, geology and remoteness as by its institutions. And while Why Nations Fail argues that authoritarian regimes can’t sustain growth, China has done so for decades. Meanwhile, many democracies with inclusive institutions have stagnated, and some have even regressed. Inclusive institutions clearly matter. But I'm sceptical that they're the only thing that matters.