Economist Week 2024

About Economist Week (March 18-22)

​

AEclipse presents this year's Economist Week, themed 2024-2050: Navigating Global Economic Challenges.

​

Between 2024 and 2050, we stand at a critical juncture where proactive intervention could potentially steer global economic challenges towards transformative transitions, ensuring resilience and progress. The time to act is now.

​

Bringing together stakeholders from academia, the public sector, and private companies, the Economist Week enables students to glimpse into career paths open to Economists who want to work on solutions for the challenges of the next decades. Covering AI, Global Economic Policy, Sustainable Development, Competition Economics, and the future of the housing market, this year's guests showcase how Economists impact the world we will live in.

​

Join us for the unique opportunity to participate in recruitment events, panel discussions, and interactive keynote lectures to find out about the tremendously diverse career paths you, as an Economist, could embark on.

​

Below you will find the agenda of this year's Economist Week. You can sign up here!

​

​

Day 1: Monday March 18th

​

Traineeship recruitment Economentraineeship BOFEB (Dutch Central Government)
15:00-17:00

Mandeville T3-10

 

Gelijn Werner - Senior Economist at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy

AI is believed to be a general purpose technology that will transform the economy. How can AI shape our economic future? What effects can we expect for the labour market?  And what does this all mean for public policy – also given all the unknowns about the future? In this session you will hear main economic insights about these questions, as well some related work experiences from within the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

 

Thomas Dirkmaat and Bram van Dijk - Directeuren Economentraineeship BOFEB

The Economists Traineeship BoFEB prepares young academics for policy positions at ministries and other government institutions. The traineeship lasts one year and starts every year in March and September. The traineeship consists of two parts of six months each. The first part focuses on deepening insight into the theory of financial and economic policy, in addition to learning various skills that are important for policy makers. During the second part, the trainees work at a ministry or other government agency, such as the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets or the Dutch Central Bank.

​

Tijmen van Westerveld and Maarten de Lange - Trainees at BOFEB

Mr. van Westerveld and Mr. de Lange are part of this year's BOFEB cohort. They will share insights from their firsthand experiences, offering a unique glimpse into the life of a BOFEB trainee. Use this opportunity to learn directly from their journey, understand the challenges and rewards of the program, and gain valuable advice.

​

This event is a recruitment event.

You will have the chance to ask questions about recruitment and pass on your CV to the appropriate people. The company will provide you with all the information needed for a possible application to traineeship or jobs! Please note that the BoFEB traineeship itself is open to all EU citizens who speak Dutch (Dutch citizenship not necessary). Nevertheless, the entire BoFEB recruitment event is held in English.

​

For this event, please send your CV to external@aeclipse.nl after finishing your sign up. 

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

 

 

BoFEB Networking Drinks

17:00

Outside of the prior event

After the recruitment event, you will have the chance to talk to the speakers in an informal setting with drinks. You can ask questions about the recruitment process, work at the Dutch government and network with other students. 

 

 

​

 

Day 2: Wednesday March 20th

UPDATE (as of March 16th): Due to extraordinary circumstances, the World Bank presentation is postponed by one week to Wednesday, March 27th, 10:00-12:00, in Theil CB-3.

Presentation and Q&A - World Bank

10:00-12:00

Mandeville T3-17

 

Hrisyana Doytchinova – Economist at the World Bank

Join us for an engaging World Bank Q&A session with Hrisyana Doytchinova, an Erasmus School of Economics alumna. Ms. Doytchinova will introduce the World Bank's purpose and talk about her experience of working at the World Bank. She will then open the floor to student questions. Gain insights into her transition from consultant to economist and her day-to-day role in the Office of the Chief Economist, focusing on Europe and Central Asia. Do not miss this opportunity to connect, inquire, and learn from Ms. Doytchinova's wealth of experience.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

Interactive Panel on the (supposed) impact of Artificial Intelligence on The Economy – Insights from The Economist and DeepMind
14:00-16:00

Mandeville T3-17

​

Moderator: Anastasija Tetereva - Assistant Professor at Erasmus School of Economics

​

Arjun Ramani – Global Business and Economics Correspondent at The Economist

Zhengdong Wang – Research Engineer at Deepmind

 

“When will we experience the effects of transformative AI across the economy?” AEclipse is delighted to welcome two experts from The Economist and Deepmind who will give insights into potential bottlenecks to the impact of AI on the economy. Arjun Ramani is the Global Business & Economics Correspondent at The Economist and Zhengdong Wang is a Research Engineer at Deepmind. Both will posit how the transformational potential of AI may be constrained by its hardest problems, how despite rapid progress in some AI subfields, major technical hurdles remain and that even if technical AI progress continues, social and economic hurdles may limit its impact. Their published essay in which they elaborate on their postulations can be found here. Both are curious how you at EUR think about AI in this context, whether it impacts your search for jobs, and are excited to engage with you.

 

This is an interactive panel. To ensure a fruitful exchange, please read the essay beforehand and submit your questions via email to external@aeclipse.nl. You can sign up for the event without submitting questions, however, please submit your questions until Tuesday, March 19th, at 6:00 pm. The questions need not be long and detailed. Simply submit questions you would like to ask our panellists.

 

After the panel, Arjun Ramani and Zhengdong Wang will give a brief overview of their work at The Economist and Deepmind, as well as of the respective application processes, followed by a Q&A.

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

 

​

Day 3: Thursday March 21st

 

Interactive Lecture on the Evolution of the Housing Market – Rabobank

11:00-12:30

Mandeville T3-21

 

Stefan Groot – Senior Housing Market Economist at Rabobank

Stefan Groot is the Senior Housing Market Economist at Rabobank. He will give an interactive lecture on the housing market, diving into the affordability crisis and the lack of sufficient new construction. He will go into greater detail about how developments in the past led to the status quo and the implications of recent macroeconomic developments on the housing market. You will have the chance to ask questions during the lecture and discuss these topics with him and your fellow students.

 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

Day 4: Friday March 22nd

​

Case Study in Competition Economics: Local Merger Analysis – RBB Economics

15:00-17:00

Theil C1-2

​

Aidan Heijmans – Senior Associate at RBB Economics

Daan Schraage – Associate at RBB Economics

 

RBB is an independent economic consultancy specialising in competition economics.  The firm was founded in London in 2002 and currently has 14 offices all across the world.  RBB applies economics in the context of competition law investigations by the European Commission and national competition authorities.

 

The workshop will begin with an overview of RBB Economics and the type of work RBB do.  The remainder of the workshop will consist of an introduction to local merger analysis, which will include an outline of the economic framework used in a horizontal merger assessment, followed by an interactive case study.  For the case study, participants will be divided into teams.  Each team will have a chance to consider the case information and present their findings as to whether there are reasonable grounds for competition concerns.

​

This event is a recruitment event.

You will have the chance to ask questions about recruitment and pass on your CV to the appropriate people. The company will provide you with all the information needed for a possible application to traineeship or jobs! Note that there is a pre-selection process in place for this event. We will let you know if you have been accepted in advance of the event. 

 

For this event, please send your CV to external@aeclipse.nl after you have finished your sign up. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

RBB Networking Drinks

17:00

Just outside of the prior event

After the workshop, you will have the chance to talk to the speakers and companies in an informal setting with drinks. You can ask your specific question and network with other students. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Industry Experts Sessions On Sustainable Growth In Africa - IRPaeclipse X AEclipse

Time: 10:00-14:00 (all 3 sessions, including breaks)

Theil C1-3

 

Session 1

Interactive Lecture on Sustainable Trade and Investment Facilitation for Africa in the Netherlands - Netherlands African Business Council (NABC)

Time: 10:00-11:00

​

Núria Vlonk-Cunha Soares – Deputy Managing Director and Country Representative for Angola, Mozambique and Senegal

​

The NABC leads a network of nearly 200 engaged and diverse members and has access to a community of over 10,000 African and European businesses, institutes, government entities and others interested in doing business in Africa. Núria will give an interactive presentation on how the Dutch private sector plays a prominent role in the sustainable development of the African continent.

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Session 2

Interactive Lecture on re-using waste as a resource to produce biogas and organic fertilizer – Safisana  

Time: 11:30-12:30

​

Berend Golterman – Operations and Technology Manager

​

Safisana aims to fundamentally improve the health and well-being of people living in appalling circumstances in non-sewered urban areas. They use a circular model where fecal sludge from public toilets is collected and turned into biogas through a natural process of anaerobic digestion and fermentation. This renewable energy is then used to produce electricity that feeds the national grid. Mr Golterman will give an interactive presentation on how Safisana operates in Ghana, and what opportunities and challenges exist to achieve this circular process.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

Session 3

Presentation on Health Economics and Behavioural Nudges for Tuberculosis Treatment in South Africa - Rotterdam Global Health Initiative

Time: 13:00-14:00

​

Sean Geoffrey Richardson - PhD Candidate at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)

 

Sean Geoffrey Richardson is a PhD Candidate at ESHPM and conducts research into health economics. He will present a perspective of Health Economics, including Behavioural Nudges, on Tuberculosis Treatment in South Africa.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Excited? You can sign up here!