Center for Economic Research & Graduate Education - Economics Institute

About CERGE-EI

Promo ImageCERGE-EI is a joint workplace in the field of Economics, associated with two highly respected institutions, Charles University in Prague and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education of Charles University (CERGE) was founded in 1991 as an American-style Ph.D. program in Economics taught entirely in English. In 1992, the Economics Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (EI) was created as an economics research institution, seeking to carry out topical research of the highest international standards.

Recognizing their overlapping goals and interests, the two institutions entered into a cooperation agreement in 1993, which later evolved into a formal joint workplace agreement in 1999. Our partnership represents a unique example of cooperation in the Czech Republic and serves as a model of how to break down the artificial division between universities and research institutions that existed throughout the communist period. CERGE-EI reinforces the relationship of teaching and research by creating an environment of intellectual curiosity and scientific rigor.

The goals and interests which serve as CERGE-EI’s mission are:

  • to train future public officials, business leaders, and university faculty and researchers from the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe in modern economics;
  • to stimulate and support academic and policy-oriented economic research;
  • to disseminate this research and policy information to government officials, corporate managers, and academic economists throughout the region and the world through seminars, symposia, conferences, working papers, and other publications; and
  • to facilitate the transfer of modern western standards of economic instruction and scientific work to the Czech Republic and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with a special emphasis on educating the instructors of future generations of business leaders and voters.

Located in the historic center of Prague, CERGE-EI has grown to be recognized as a regional center of educational excellence and has won numerous accolades from US governmental institutions, the European Commission, international grant authorities and research organizations: in 1992 and 1994, the European Community Secretariat of the ACE Programme designated the institution the only "Recognized Centre of Excellence in Ph.D. Studies in Economics" in Central and Eastern Europe, and in 1993 and 1994, CERGE-EI was recognized as a Center of Excellence in Economics Education and Research by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). As a further indication of overall academic quality, CERGE-EI's PhD in Economics has been granted an absolute charter by the Board of Regents of the Education Department of New York State (a board granting charters outside the USA), and is fully accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports of the Czech Republic. Its location in the heart of Europe has proven to be beneficial in attracting high-quality researchers, faculty and students concerned with the impact of social, economic and political transition in the CEE/fSU region.

Throughout our history, collaborative efforts between international organizations have played a major role. Since 1999, CERGE-EI has been the East European Regional Network representative for the Global Development Network (GDN). The GDN is comprised of nine regional networks and an independent secretariat in Washington, D.C., and is an open, worldwide network of policy and research institutes which aims to support the generation, sharing and application to policy of development knowledge. Our library is an official depository for World Bank publications.