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Czech Academy of Sciences Week at CERGE-EI: How Economics Explains Our World

15 October, 2025

As part of this year’s Czech Academy of Sciences Week, CERGE-EI presents the current frontiers of economic research and knowledge.

Come and discover how economists approach the issues shaping today’s world — from how markets function, to identifying talent, to integrating refugees into the labor market.

CERGE-EI has long been a place where education and high-level research meet across many areas of theoretical and empirical economics. During the festival, visitors will have the opportunity to step into the world of economics, take part in an experiment, and discuss with experts how economic thinking helps us better understand how society works.

The CERGE-EI program is open to anyone interested in economics, public policy, or social issues.

Miroslava Federičová, Ph.D.: Lost Einsteins: What do we (not) know about quantitatively gifted students?

Giftedness is a potential that we should develop—not only in children with ideal backgrounds, but also in those whose talent may go unnoticed. How many quantitatively gifted students are there in the Czech Republic, and how do we compare with the rest of Europe? How well are schools able to identify and support these children? The lecture draws on international surveys such as PISA and TIMSS and presents the latest findings on who these students are, what characterizes them, and where support systems work — or fail.

Doc. PhDr. Jan Zápal, Ph.D.: What Can Markets Do — and What Can’t They?

How do markets really work when you experience them firsthand? In this interactive experiment, participants will create a small “market environment” and observe how prices are formed, how supply meets demand, and how individual strategies influence outcomes. Together, we will explore why markets sometimes function remarkably well — and why they sometimes fail. The discussion will also look at how real-world factors such as imperfect information, unequal bargaining power, and bounded rationality shape the functioning of markets.

Achim Ahrens, Ph.D.: The Economic Integration of Refugees (In English)

In many European countries, refugees face significant challenges in the labor market: they are less likely to be employed and often earn lower wages than other immigrants or native workers, even years after arriving. This lecture uses Switzerland as a case study to explore the social and labor policies that shape refugees’ opportunities, highlight the latest research on these issues, and present possible solutions - including an online job-matching platform.

CERGE-EI will participate in Academy of Sciences Week on Thursday, November 6, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information about the program, visit the official website of Academy of Sciences Week.