Head of department Espen R. Moen
The Department of Economics contributes to research-based education and knowledge development in socio-economic disciplines as well as in methods at all levels.
The Department works with topics associated with labour market economics, international macro-economics, industrial economics and competition policy, monetary and financial policy, environment and energy economics, political economics, mathematics, statistics and econometrics.
The Department's staff publishes much of their research in leading international professional journals. As many as 59% of accepted articles in 2015 were published at level 2, the highest level according to the National Academic Council for Economics.
The Department places great emphasis on research seminars, which are conducted on a regular weekly basis during the semester. Some of the world's leading researchers within the Department's fields of study present new research work here. Professors Ed Glaeser (Harvard), Gerard Padro in Miquel (LSE) and Steven Ongena (University of Zurich) were just a few of the many who were guests at the Department in 2015.
The Department is home to four research centres:
- Centre for Applied Macro and Petroleum Economics, CAMP, led by Professor Hilde C. Bjørnland
The Centre has organised PhD courses, 4 conferences with leading international academics, and has produced 12 Working papers in 2015. Hilde C. Bjørnland was also programme manager and CAMP host for “The 23rd Symposium of the Society for Nonlinear Dynamics and Econometrics" (SNDE 2015). In 2015, the Centre renewed its financing agreement with Statoil for five more years. - Centre for Monetary Economics, CME, led by Professor Tommy Sveen
CME organises seminars focusing on monetary policy and macro-economics. Each year, the Centre presents a report on the implementation of monetary policy on assignment from the Ministry of Finance. Professor Tommy Sveen took over leadership of the Centre in the summer of 2015, replacing Arne Jon Isachsen. - Centre for Research in Economics and Management, CREAM, led by Professor Christian Riis
The Centre's activities focus on two main areas; "Competition policy in dynamic markets" financed by the Norwegian Competition Authority, and development of a methodical device for "added value analyses" in the transportation sector. Associated faculty are Tom-Reiel Heggedal, Espen R. Moen and Christian Riis. - Centre for Experimental Studies and Research, CESAR, led by Professor Leif Helland:
BI and CESAR made up one of two economics communities in Norway to be awarded Nordic Top-Level Research funding (Toppforsk 2016 – 2020), with a total framework of NOK 22 million. The project and the funds have been placed under CESAR and will be used for research on the causes of inefficiency in negotiations; theoretical and experimental.
People and performance:
The Department has recruited several capable faculty members this year. Professor Fabio Canova was called in 2015. He came from the European University Institute and is a recognised European macroeconomist. The Department was also pleased to welcome Associate Professors Gisle James Natvik and Alfonso Irarrazabal, both from Norges Bank. Kristin Grigson was hired as administration consultant in August.
- Senior Lecturer Robert Hansen won the Department's in-house award as lecturer of the year.
- Drago Bergholt and Hans-Martin Straume defended their doctorates in 2015.
- Benny Geys was appointed Professor in the autumn of 2015, at age 37.
- Associate Professor Pål Lauritzen led a group that has made a recommendation to BI's management concerning how BI should relate to Big Data.
- Professor Hilde C Bjørnland is part of the financial policy council in Sweden and is a member of a new government committee in Norway that is tasked with examining the shareholdings in the Norwegian Government Petroleum Fund.
Professor Espen R. Moen returned from the University of Oslo and took over as head of the department, replacing Erling Steigum in September 2015.