Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what brought you to UEA?
My research focuses on institutional and organizational questions, applying economic methodology to a broad set of disciplines, including law, management, political science, history, religious studies, and computer science. I studied Economics and Chinese studies in Tübingen (Germany) and Singapore and hold a PhD in Economics from Goethe University Frankfurt. 2006-22, I was on the faculty of Tilburg University, the Netherlands, and just joined UEA as Professor in Economics in September 2022.
Here, key points of attraction for me are the Centre for Competition Policy, one of (the?) Europe’s leading law & economics research centre, and a greater appreciation for real-world impact of our scholarly findings than at most other universities.
What are you passionate about outside of Economics?
As my research characterization above indicates, I am very broadly interested, especially in the social sciences. The fantastic part of being a researcher is that I can turn many of these personal interests into research projects. This has led me to study medieval legal institutions, the political economy of religion, the fundamentals of social norms and other governance institutions, non-profit and cooperative organizations, the economics of privacy, several new technologies (including search engines, cloud computing, open-source software, or the internet backbone market), and many other fascinating subjects.
Beyond these more intellectual exercises, I enjoy socializing with friends and my family, playing Badminton, and traveling to other countries whenever I find the time.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Economics?
I studied Economics and Chinese Studies — but I actually was much more interested in the second subject in my first year. I had visited Hong Kong, which was still under British rule back then, and was fascinated by the huge inequality and unknown (to me) organization of culture and society. But then, in the second half of the 1990s, the internet entered our lives, and I had the privilege to be in the first generation of active internet users. After an exchange year in Singapore, I came back with the business plan for an Internet start-up, which I built and operated, next to my university studies, for three years. Then, the internet bubble burst, 9/11 eroded all investor confidence (in 2001), and probably my business development plan was not good enough. So, I had to close the venture down in 2002. But the fascination for the opportunities of the internet and digital technologies remained — and the fascination for the toolkit of modern economics, which can be used to study so many things (see above).
What excites you the most about Economics at the moment?
Economics is not the study of the economy. Instead, it is a toolbox that can be used to study the economy but also questions arising in many other domains: some theories (not too many: like marginal analysis, opportunity costs, equilibrium and optimum) and some, mostly quantitative methods (my favourite is applied game theory, but I use many more, with co-authors). Open the newspaper, and you will find questions in nearly any section that economics can contribute to understand better!
What modules do you teach on?
At UEA, I teach Industrial Organization (Master level). Before, I taught Organizational and Institutional Economics, Economics of Religion, Microeconomics, Game Theory, and Governance of Innovation.
What are you researching at the moment?
Ongoing projects comprise studies of the effects of social media and online news platforms on democracy (via the spread of disinformation), the importance of data (and not algorithmic quality) on search-engine quality, the role of (purposefully false) beliefs of social workers about the difference their work makes (spoiler: inflationary self-esteem is efficient!), the role of lobbying of member-firms in standard-setting organizations, and studying what happens if different types of institutions (e.g. social norms and laws) declare different actions as acceptable or wrongful.
Have you ever worked with organisations outside of academia in your research/work?
Yes, I actually think that the societal impact of our work, sometimes direct and sometimes indirect, is the major justification for having (partly) state-sponsored universities. I have advised some national governments (Dutch Economics Ministry, Dutch Competition Authority, German Finance Ministry) and some supranational organizations: at the European Commission, I am a member of an expert group on the Online Platform Economy (DG CNECT, DG GROW), and I am invited to educate and consult staff members about “Economic Governance and Institutional Reform”(DG ECFIN).
What do you enjoy most about the School of Economics at UEA?
There are many smart and nice people at the School of Economics. I found the atmosphere very friendly when I arrived here and appreciate the active research culture.
What advice would you give for students pursuing a career in academia?
Have some trust in your supervisors! Recognize that you are not the only person feeling that your work is useless or will never generate interesting results! Read good newspapers to understand the world better (economics is a social science!) and to develop relevant research questions! Over time, develop a clear vision of what career you want to pursue! Discuss it with your supervisors and make corresponding decisions where to invest your time! If you are interested in new technologies, study those that will be relevant tomorrow, not what is topical today! Be aware that being an academic researcher is very rewarding, on the one hand, but also brings with it that your entire work will be criticised throughout your entire life!
What are you reading at the moment?
Dimitar Gueorguiev’s “Retrofitting Leninism” (a great study on how today’s China works), Pedro Domingos’ “The Master Algorithm” (a very well written book explaining the fundamentals of AI/machine learning to a non-computer science audience), and diverse fantasy novels.
What is your favourite place in Norwich?
I have not seen too much, yet, but I do like the look and feel in the city centre and I am looking forward to my first black metal concert in the Waterfront. 😉