News

Anniversary Wishes: Gérard Roland and Orley Ashenfelter

10 December, 2021

CERGE-EI celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Gérard Roland, Professor at the University of California and a member of the Executive and Supervisory Committee (ESC) of CERGE-EI, does not doubt that the next thirty years he will see the institution making even more progress. Orley Ashenfelter, Professor at Princeton University and a former member of the ESC, is proud of his association with CERGE-EI.

Gérard Roland, University of California, Berkley

"After the collapse of communist regimes thirty years ago, there were many attempts to establish education and research institutions bringing modern economics in postcommunist countries. Most of these attempts failed and CERGE-EI, set up under the leadership of Jan Svejnar, with the help of brilliant young economists from the region and the support from world-class economists (including several Nobel prize winners) survived and thrived to become the jewel of graduate education and research in Central Europe. This is a great accomplishment. I congratulate all those who contributed to make CERGE-EI a great success, and, given the very high quality of research of its professors, I have no doubt that the next thirty years will see CERGE-EI making even more progress. Personally, I am proud to have been part of this experience so far."

Prof. Gérard Roland, Ph.D., is a Belgian economist and a professor of economics and political science at the University of California, Berkley. His early work was on the political economy of communism. After 1990, he became one of the world's most renowned and influential scholars in transition economics. He is a member of the Executive and Supervisory Committee (ESC) of CERGE-EI. 

Orley Ashenfelter, Princeton University

"I first visited CERGE-EI almost 30 years ago. It was a unique experiment that has survived and thrived, and I'm very proud of my association with it. The quality and character of both students and faculty have created an academic jewel in Europe's system of higher education."

Prof. Orley Clark Ashenfelter, Ph.D., is an American economist and the Joseph Douglas Green 1895 Professor of Economics at Princeton University. His areas of specialization include labor economics, econometrics, and law and economics. He was a member of the Executive and Supervisory Committee (ESC) of CERGE-EI. 

Read more about CERGE-EI's history, achievements, and wishes on its 30th anniversary website.