Professorships

Anne Ardila Brenøe is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics and Research Director of the LRF Center for Economics of Breastfeeding at the University of Zurich. Her primary research interests are in applied microeconomics. Specifically, her ongoing research focuses on infant nutrition. For this, she looks for answers to questions such as: Why do most mothers not meet the WHO’s recommendation of six months of exclusive breastfeeding, although it seems to be one of the most effective ways to reduce infant mortality and morbidity? What are the causal (and not just correlational) effects of breastfeeding on child development?

Decisions are often based on a conflict between different processes. What does this mean? How and why do preferences change? How can we measure the intensity of conflicts between different behavioral tendencies? These and similar questions are the core of Professor Alós-Ferrer’s research. His fields of expertise include neuroeconomics, decision theory, game theory, evolution, and learning in games and markets.

Focusing on development economics, political economy, and behavioral economics his research aims to significantly improve the situation of children and youth in developing countries using economic knowledge and innovative technology. How can we improve child and teenager development? What is the best way to provide reliable evidence for the efficient design of programs and policies and by supporting their route to scale?

Lorenzo Casaburi’s research focuses on development economics, political economy, behavioral economics, and public finance. With his work, he provides answers to questions, such as: What are the characteristics of agricultural markets in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of market structure and agricultural finance? How can behavioral insights help us identify underlying mechanisms of market structures? What is the role of the state?

Ralph Ossa holds the Kühne Foundation Professorship of International Trade. He has also been Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since January 2023 and was previously Director of the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich. His research focuses on international economics with a particular emphasis on questions of policy relevance. For example, he has explored the economics of trade wars and trade talks and estimated how much countries gain from international trade.

Professor Weber’s research falls primarily within the areas of behavioral and experimental economics, decision-making, and the study of organizations and institutions. He addresses questions, such as: How can we combat socially costly unethical conduct? Do leaders affect ethical conduct? Whom do we trust and how much does it cost? How can we measure trust?