Economics and Finance

Academic Research and Teaching

The Academic Research and Teaching Group provides a very active research environment, particularly in economic theory, macroeconomics and search, and applied econometrics. Outstanding professors from all over the world regularly visit IHS to interact with faculty and students. MSc and PhD programs in Economics and Finance offered by the department in cooperation with Vienna’s universities focus on advanced training in analytical competence, economic intuition and solid empirical work. Graduates typically continue their graduate education at top universities or take on jobs in important think tanks, policy making institutions, or the financial sector.

Applied Research

The Institute has a long tradition to give advice to public policy. Commissioned research projects translate state of the art theoretical knowledge into solutions for customers. To this end the Applied Research Group covers a broad range of economic research fields. Theoretical models are combined with empirical methods to develop innovative answers to current economic policy challenges.


IN MEMORIAM WOLFGANG POLASEK
Wolfgang Polasek died on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

It is our sad duty to inform the members of the Austrian economics community that Wolfgang Polasek passed away after a severe illness. He started his scientific career as an assistant at the Institute for Advanced Studies and the University of Vienna. He acquired his PhD in statistics in 1976 (his advisor was Franz Ferschl) and lectureship (Habilitation) in econometrics and Bayesian statistics in 1982 at the University of Vienna. From 1982 to 2002 he worked as a full professor at the University of Basel and thereafter as a senior researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies. As part of his scientific activities, he worked as a guest researcher and gave courses in many leading universities in Europe, America and Asia (Southern California, Tokyo, British Columbia, UCLA, Canterbury in New Zealand, Santa Barbara, Humboldt University, Purdue, Melbourne etc.). He was much influenced by his joint work with Ed Leamer, UCLA. He was a prolific writer with numerous publications, including outstanding successes such as publications in Econometrica and Journal of the American Statistical Association. In his later career, he also worked on more policy related topics such as regional economics, traffic and infrastructure, or deregulation. The Institute for Advanced Studies is grateful for his many contributions in teaching, basic and applied research.
Wolfgang Polasek was well integrated in the international community and cultivated personal relationships with many leading researchers. He enjoyed organizing events, bringing people together and was an enthusiastic host. He was a critical and sometimes even inconvenient colleague and seminar organizer. He liked to scout new talents and promote younger researchers, but also insisted on discipline and courtesy. If somebody left a seminar early, he risked to get an Email “I am quite astonished about your behavior”. These positive contributions will dominate our memory of Wolfgang Polasek.
Wolfgang Polasek leaves his wife Hanka, three children and three grandchildren.
The memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, June 6, at 12:45, Hietzinger Friedhof.

Prof. Christian Keuschnigg und Prof. Manfred Deistler, Wien, 30. Mai 2013