28/06/2010
Labor Economics opens 2010 edition of Barcelona GSE Summer Schools
The 2010 edition of the Barcelona GSE Summer Schools in Economics began last week with its newest track, Labor Economics, which welcomed 29 participants from 18 countries. Over the course of the next two weeks the Ciutadella campus in Barcelona will welcome participants in the other two tracks, Banking and Microeconometrics. A total of 183 participants from 45 countries will attend Barcelona GSE Summer School courses this year.
New perspective and context for academics and professionals
Participants in the week-long Labor Economics Summer School took advantage of every moment of their time in Barcelona, engaging in intense discussion with instructors and colleagues during coffee breaks and beyond the daily classroom sessions. Several participants are conducting doctoral research, and used the time to bounce ideas off of fellow PhD students in the Summer School.
"There is great value in coming together with other participants who are working on the same issues in their research and professional work," said Kenneth Lykke Sørensen, a PhD candidate researching matching and unemployment at Aarhaus University. "The Labor Economics Summer School helps participants make closer connections with each other in terms of networking and research ideas."
Refreshing and motivating sessions with top instructors
Instructors in the Labor Economics Summer School included Professors Derek Neal and Robert Shimer of the University of Chicago, as well as Ghazala Azmat (UPF and Barcelona GSE) and Maia Güell (University of Edinburgh, UPF and Barcelona GSE), who is also the director of the Labor Economics track. Several participants commented that the course provided a rare opportunity for personal interaction with top international scholars.
"This was a great chance to take a course with some of the foremost academics in Labor Economics," said Ahmed Elsadig, who is an economist and country manager for Yemen and Jordan at the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia. "I came to the Labor Economics Summer School because I am passionate about the field, and I wanted to get up-to-date on the latest academic research."
"I appreciated the interactive teaching style of the American professors," said Bettina Drepper, a doctoral student from the University of Mannheim. "It was refreshing and motivating."
After making the most of face time with top instructors and picking the brains of their colleagues, many participants took advantage of their time in Barcelona to attend the city's annual summer solstice celebration, joining locals on the beach to watch fireworks and enjoy a splendid summer evening by the Mediterranean.
Barcelona GSE Summer Schools continue through July 16 with Banking and Microeconometrics tracks, as well as the
Zvi Griliches Research Summer School in the Economics of Innovation (auditing option still available).
The 2010 Barcelona session of the
Global Health Leadership Forum will take place from July 18-23, 2010.
Participants used time outside of class to network and share research ideas.
Ahmed Elsadig, an economist from Saudi Arabia, participated in all four courses in the 
Students chat with Prof. 
RSS