News

News in April 2023

8 May, 2023

There's always something happening at CERGE-EI! Interesting news keeps appearing in the media more and more often and we feel happy to share a few of them with you. In April, a number of articles about new research by CERGE-EI’s IDEA think-tank in the press received a lot of attention from the professional and public sphere.

1 April

FILIP PERTOLD, IDEA at CERGE-EI (ČT24)

In the programme, Events, comments on CT24, the controversy over the retirement age was discussed. Filip Pertold, Deputy Director of IDEA and advisor to the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Marian Jurecka, were guests on the programme. The discussion focused on the impact of retirement age on the economy and social stability. One of the topics was the question of whether retirement age should be raised or remain unchanged. Guests focused on various proposals to address this issue, including the possibility of gradually reducing pension or introducing a flexible retirement age.

2 April

Petr JÁNSKÝ, IDEA at CERGE-EI (Otázky Václava Moravce, ČT24)

Czech National Bank’s former governor, Miroslav Singer, Vice President of the Czech Banking Association, Jan Juchelka, and economist, Petr Jansky, from IDEA discuss banking unrest. They talked about whether panic is the biggest enemy of money and factors that can lead to financial market turmoil, as well as measures that could be taken to minimise risks in the banking sector and ensure financial system stability. On this occasion, Petr Jánský reflected on the results of his new study with Daniel Kolář.

6 April

Daniel Münich, IDEA at CERGE-EI (Právo)

In this interview, economist Daniel Münich of the think tank IDEA argued that protests by humanities disciplines, such as the Hour of Truth, have highlighted long-standing problems in universities that need to be addressed responsibly and comprehensively. The protests are about how university funding should be rethought and based on the quality of teaching and student outcomes rather than the number of students, as well as strengthening the roles of university directors and reducing bureaucracy. Münich stressed the importance of supporting research and development, which should be focused on the current challenges of society.

 7 April

Christian OCHSNER, CERGE-EI (SJ News)

A team of scientists from the Czech Republic and Switzerland will conduct three years of research this year on new technology concerns. The project will be led by Christian Ochsner of CERGE-EI, a joint institute of Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences. The aim of the project is to understand the origins and extent of fears people have about new technologies and to determine whether these fears are scientifically justified. The project was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GA ČR) and the Swiss SNF SNSF.

13 April

IDEA at CERGE-EI (Heroine)

An article in Heroine.cz reflects on the situation of women in the labour market and mentions several sociological studies, including one by think tank IDEA at CERGE-EI, which looks at different economic impacts of the pandemic on men and women in the Czech Republic. The article focuses on whether the burden of childcare falls more heavily on women and whether this is also true when both partners work full-time.

20 April

DANIEL KOLÁŘ, IDEA at CERGE-EI (ČT24)

According to economist Daniel Kolář of IDEA, it is not possible to give a clear answer to the question of whether increasing social benefits has a positive or negative effect on economic development. While they analysed the evolution of benefits between 2012 and 2023, they also included the overall macroeconomic context and an interdisciplinary approach. Kolář pointed out that increasing social benefits can boost domestic demand and thus the economy, but it can also reduce people's motivation to look for work, which can have a negative effect on the economy in the longer term. Experts point out that it is important to take into account how social benefits are financed.