ESNIE Purpose

ESNIE seeks to develop the European research capability, its integration and the European influence in the developing field of New Institutional Economics (NIE). Using rigorous scientific methods, NIE focuses on the theoretical and empirical analysis of the economic impacts of co-ordination devices — institutions, organisations and contracts —, as well as on the conditions under which these devices evolve.

NIE is rooted into two strong traditions. One of the very feature of the research program in New Institutional Economics is the emphasis it puts on applied analysis and empirical studies, in order to continuously confront the theory to facts and to change or enrich the theoretical framework accordingly. This makes NIE results worthwhile for decision-makers either within firms or within public institutions. The second feature of NIE is its emphasis on multi-disciplinarity and cross-fertilisation among disciplines. Scholars working in applied NIE include political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, and lawyers, as well as economists in such diverse fields as economic history, law and economics, public policy, industrial organisation, business, and microeconomics.

The goal of the European School is to increase knowledge of and research on the New Institutional Economics among European young researchers, and also scholars and decision makers, and simultaneously to support high quality research among the teams involved in the project. The activities proposed here are meant to promote the use of rigorous methods to analyse the economic effects of institutions. PhDs and Post-docs benefit of intensive training and also of networking with scholars active in the development of NIE. The researchers who participate in the program improve their own skills, and are better able to teach research skills to their students. The initiative also aims to broaden the international network of NIE researchers, and to help the participating scholars build ties that last beyond the immediate program. Moreover, a strong emphasis is put upon the integration of young researchers in the NIE research community at the global level.

The School is mainly addressed to Ph.D. students. It is also open to young researchers and more advanced scholars willing to be trained in the field. Participants can have different background in addition to economics: management sciences, political science, sociology, law, etc.