International and Monetary Economics Network
The International and Monetary Economics Network organizes public lectures in International and Monetary Economics. Our speakers are from central banks, academia, commercial banks, the public administration, think tanks, or other relevant organizations.
International and Monetary Economics Network
The International and Monetary Economics Network organizes public lectures and research seminars in International and Monetary Economics. Our speakers are from central banks, academia, commercial banks, the public administration, think tanks, or other relevant organizations.
Webinar: Structural Changes in Investment and the Waning Power of Monetary Policy (Jacob Weber, Federal Reserve Bank of New York)
- May 19, 16:00 – 17:00 (Central European Summer Time)
- Online, in English
- Link zu Paper
Registration HERE
Abstract: „We argue that secular change in both the production and composition of investment goods has weakened investment’s role in the transmission of monetary policy to labor earnings and consumption. We show analytically that fluctuations in the production of investment goods amplify the response of consumption to monetary policy shocks by varying labor income for hand-to-mouth agents. We document three secular changes weakening this channel: (i) labor’s share of value added in investment goods production has declined, (ii) the import share of investment goods has risen, and (iii) the composition of investment has shifted towards components that are less responsive to monetary policy.“
Jacob Weber is a research economist in Macroeconomic and Monetary Studies at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a research assistant to Professors Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Emi Nakamura, Jón Steinsson, Christina Romer and David Romer.
Webinar: Monetary Dynamics in Dollarized Economies: The Case of Ecuador (Juan Pablo Erraez, Inter-American Development Bank; Juan Lorenzo Maldonado, Aequus Economics)
- May 12, 16:00 – 17:00 (Central European Summer Time)
- Online, in English
- Link to Banco Central del Ecuador Paper
Registration HERE
The paper „explores the interaction between balance of payments flows, central bank operations, and private credit creation, emphasizing the role of high-powered money in sustaining domestic liquidity. The paper highlights the risks from central bank balance sheet expansion and non-monetary mechanisms such as cross-holdings of claims between deposit-taking institutions and fiscal spending financed by domestic debt. It argues that monetary stability in dollarized regimes depends critically on institutional arrangements and reserve adequacy, offering insights for policymakers, analysts, and investors seeking to understand macroeconomic vulnerabilities in similar settings.“
Public Lecture: AI and the Future of Macro Analysis (Thomas Wille)
- May 6, 2026, 18:30 – 19:30
- University of Bern, Main Building, Room HS 220, Hochschulstrasse 4, Bern
- In German
Registration HERE
Tasks such as data collection, cleaning, and pattern detection are increasingly automated, allowing economists to process larger datasets and identify signals much faster. However, AI does not replace macroeconomists. It changes their role. While machines excel at processing data, humans remain essential for interpretation, judgment, and scenario design. The traditional workflow of data → analysis → interpretation is evolving into a Human + AI research process. The macroeconomist of the future becomes less a data processor and more a decision architect.
Thomas Wille is a highly experienced finance professional with a career including roles such as Chief Investment Officer at Copernicus Wealth Management, Senior Investment Strategist at LGT, and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences. Recently, he has been focusing on artificial intelligence and its impact on finance and macro analysis, and has delivered various speeches at conferences and seminars (including at the Finanz und Wirtschaft Forum).
Webinar: Asset Purchase Programs and the Exchange Rate (Sinem Toraman, European Stability Mechanism)
- April 1, 12:00-13:00 Central European Summer Time
- Online via Zoom, the link will be sent
Registration here
Public lecture: Too-Big-To-Fail Regulation: What’s Next? (Too-Big-To-Fail Regulierung: Wie geht es weiter?)
Public lecture by Vera Imfeld (Head Banking Unit, State Secretariat for International Finance)
- March 17, 18:30 – 19:30 Central European Time
- Fabio Canetg is the moderator of this event.
- University of Bern, main building, room HS 101, Hochschulstrasse 4, Bern
- In German, followed by a reception
Webinar: EU Industrial Policy in a Fracturing Global Economy (Peter Obinger, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber)
- March 5, 12:00 – 13:00 Central European Time
- Online via Zoom
- In English
Industrial policy is back in fashion. In recent years, European countries have increasingly turned to industrial policy against the backdrop of geopolitical fragmentation, supply chain risks, or the green transition. Well-targeted industrial policy has the potential to correct market failures and bring about benefits. At the same time, even carefully designed industrial policies risk generating negative production externalities in other countries and may not be welfare-enhancing for the implementing country.
Peter Obinger is an economist at the Economic Policy Department of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, where he specialises in industrial and energy policy. He also serves as an editor for “Wirtschaftspolitische Blätter” one of Austria’s largest applied economic policy journals.
Webinar with Christian Bieri (CEO Swiss Stablecoin AG)
- February 18, 2026, 12:00 – 13:00 Central European Time
- Online via Zoom
- In German
The webinar will mainly cover a general overview of innovations in the financial sector and the perspective of the Swiss Stablecoin AG on the proposed amendment to the Financial Institutions Act. This bill is aimed at improving the framework conditions for the market development, the attractiveness of the Swiss financial centre and integration of innovative financial technologies (e.g., stablecoins, crypto) into the existing financial system.
Webinar: Revisiting Monetary Sovereignty
Richard Senner (Swiss National Bank and University of Zurich), the presentation is based on joint work with Ulrich Bindseil (TU Berlin, Ex-ECB)
- November 21, 12:00 – 13:00 Central European Time
- Online via Zoom
- In English
Ulrich Bindseil and Richard Senner revisit the origins of sovereignty and provide a detailed analysis of its monetary dimensions. They argue that sovereignty is not a goal in itself, but a capacity to take collective decisions in the interest of the people. In the face of rapid technological advances, the emergence of new actors and financial instruments, and significant geopolitical shifts, monetary sovereignty remains as important as ever. The paper can be downloaded here.
Webinar: The Rising Returns to R&D: Ideas Are not Getting Harder to Find (November 4, 16:00 – 17:00 Central European Time)
Productivity growth has slowed in many advanced economies. Some economists have argued that „ideas are harder to find“ than in the past, which may at least partially explain slow productivity growth. Yoshiki Ando, James Bessen, and Xiupeng Wang challenge these arguments. They argue that R&D has become more effective at finding productivity-enhancing ideas, but these ideas may also render rivals’ technologies obsolete, making innovations more transient.
James Bessen, an economist and technologist, serves as Executive Director of the Technology & Policy Research Initiative at Boston University. He has also been a successful innovator and CEO of a software company. His latest book, The New Goliaths (Yale 2022), argues that major firms’ investments in proprietary software systems have allowed them to increase their dominance of industries, slowing aggregate innovation and raising income inequality. Bessen’s work on automation (see Learning by Doing, Yale 2015), both historical and current, provides a distinct analysis of effects on employment, skills, and wage inequality. Bessen’s work has been widely cited in the press as well as by the US White House and Supreme Court, the European Parliament, and the Federal Trade Commission.
- Time: November 4, 16:00 – 17:00 Central European Time
- Presentation and discussion in English
Public lecture with Daniel Kalt (Chief Economist Switzerland, UBS): Schweizer Wirtschaft, quo vadis? Herausforderungen in einer Welt geopolitischer Umbrüche (October 20, 6.30 pm), HS 201 Main Building, University of Bern.
Webinar: Central Banks and the End of Stability (September 17, 12:00 – 1:00 PM), Webinar with Spyros Andreopoulos (Ex-ECB, BNP Paribas, Morgan Stanley), REGISTRATION HERE
Webinar: Is Germany still the „sick man of Europe“? Productivity and economic growth in Germany (3. Juli, 12:00 -13:00 Uhr), with Thilo Kröger (Senior Economist at the German Council of Economic Experts). Registration HERE.
Webinar: How macroeconomic developments affect digital markets, June 18, 12:00 – 13:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Webinar with Alex Fazel from SwissBorg in Lausanne. SwissBorg is a wealth management platform focused on cryptocurrency, designed to simplify investing and offer secure access to the crypto market. It has grown fast, with 220 employees as of 2024.”.
Digital assets have become increasingly important and are relevant from a general economic perspective. It has been argued in the past that these innovations in the financial sector could potentially spur productivity growth in the financial and general economy. Other voices are more cautious and question the usefulness of digital assets or crypto markets.
How do macroeconomic developments affect digital markets? Alex Fazel will tell us more about these topics. He is the Chief Partnerships Officer and Founding Partner of SwissBorg. Alex played a pivotal role to raise funds and help scale SwissBorg to 220 employees as of 2024. He is also a Cointelegraph Startup Mentor, TEDx speaker and YouTube host.
- Time: June 18, 12:00 – 13:00 (Central European Summer Time)
- Online via Zoom, the meeting link will be sent
- Presentation and discussion in English
In June, we are a partner for a panel discussion in Basel (together with the Center for International Economics and Business at the University of Basel, the think tank Reatch, and the Swiss Productivity Monitor). The event is supported by Novartis.
Podiumsdiskussion: Innovationskraft der Schweiz – wie sichern in unruhigen geopolitischen Zeiten?
Die geopolitische Fragmentierung und die ungewisse Zukunft des Verhältnisses zur Europäischen Union stellen die schweizerische Innovationslandschaft vor grosse Herausforderungen. Podiumsdiskussion im Novartis Pavillon, Basel.
Im Panel sind: Myriam Cevallos (Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation; Ressort Internationale Programme Forschung und Innovation), Mathieu Resbeut (BAK Economics, Spezialist für Innovation und Technologie), Michaela Kneissel (Novartis, Global Disease Area Head for Diseases of Aging and Regenerative Medicine). und Sereina Capatt (Co-Geschäftsführerin foraus). Moderation: Rolf Weder (Professor für International Economics, Universität Basel).
Zeit: 12. Juni 2025, 18.00 – 19.30 Uhr (anschliessend Apéro)
Novartis Pavillon, St. Johanns-Hafen-Weg 5, 4056 Basel
Vortrag und Diskussion auf Deutsch
ANMELDUNG HIER
Public lecture by Adriel Jost: Märchen & Mythen der Bankenregulierung
April 8, 18:30-19:30 Central European Time (lecture in German, followed by a discussion with Fabio Canetg)
Lecture by Adriel Jost followed by a conversation with the macroeconomist and business journalist Fabio Canetg.
April 8, 2025, 6:30 PM
HS 220, Main Building University of Bern, Hochschulstr. 4, Bern
Followed by a reception
You can register HERE
Public lecture: March 25, 18:30-19:30 Central European Time (in German)
Geopolitical Shifts in the World Economy: Impact on Switzerland as an Export Nation
by Jan Atteslander, Member of the Executive Board and Head of Foreign Economic Affairs at economiesuisse
Geopolitical turbulences have unfortunately increased. Wars, trade disputes, and other conflicts are leading to geopolitical upheavals. The Swiss economy has always benefited from a well-functioning world economy and minimal trade barriers. What do these geopolitical shifts mean for Switzerland as an export nation? Jan Atteslander will discuss this with us. He is a member of the executive board and head of foreign economic affairs at economiesuisse. For decades, he has been closely involved in all important issues concerning Switzerland’s economic relations with the world.
- Time: March 25, 2025, 18:30 – 19:30 Central European Time
- HS 120, Main Building of the University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, Bern
- Lecture and discussion in German
- Followed by a reception
You can register HERE
Webinar Announcement: March 19, 12:00-13:00 Central European Time
How to build a Ukrainian Development Bank
by Inna Melnykovska (Central European University), Eric Monnet (Paris School of Economics), and Matthias Thiemann (Sciences Po Paris)
The future of Ukraine remains highly uncertain. In the long term, a strong economic recovery will be crucial for ensuring stability and peace. Recently, Inna Melnykovska, Eric Monnet, and Matthias Thiemann proposed establishing a Ukrainian development bank. According to these economists, such an institution could integrate existing financial structures, channel EU aid, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and drive economic modernization. In this webinar, they will discuss their ideas for building a Ukrainian Development Bank.
- Time: March 19, 2025, 12:00 – 13:00 Central European Time
- Online
- Presentation and discussion in English. Click HERE to register.
Public Lecture, November 28, 6.30 pm: The OECD Minimum Tax: A Win for Switzerland? A Win for the World? with Dr. David Staubli (Federal Tax Administration), Dominik Gross (Alliance Sud), and Dr. Christian Frey (Economiesuisse)
A few years ago, the member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) came to the conclusion that the existing taxation of large multinational companies was no longer appropriate. A global minimum tax rate of 15 percent on profits was agreed upon for these companies (with annual revenue of 750 million or more). Switzerland has now implemented this OECD minimum tax as of January 1, 2024. We are pleased to have secured three distinguished experts in Switzerland to discuss the pros and cons of the OECD Minimum Tax: David Staubli from the Federal Tax Administration, Dominik Gross from the non-governmental organization Alliance Sud, and Christian Frey from the business association Economiesuisse.
- Title: The OECD Minimum Tax: A Win for Switzerland? A Win for the World?
- Date and time: November 28, 2024, 6:30-7:30 PM
- Main Building University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, Room HS 220
- Lecture and discussion in German. Followed by a reception.
- Registration is requested HERE
Felicitas Kemeny (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs): Konjunkturprognosen in bewegten Zeiten
Konjunkturprognosen werden in Medien viel beachtet. Doch wie entstehen sie eigentlich? In den vergangenen Jahren haben wir mit der Pandemie und dem russischen Überfall auf die Ukraine zwei dramatische Ereignisse erlebt, die unsere Konjunktur stark beeinflusst haben. Wie geht man bei der Erstellung von Konjunkturprognosen mit solchen Krisen um? Darüber wird uns Felicitas Kemeny am 17. Oktober mehr erzählen. Sie ist Abteilungsleiterin des Ressorts Konjunktur im Seco.
- Title: Konjunkturprognosen in bewegten Zeiten
- Date and time: October 17, 18:30 – 19:30 Uhr
- Hauptgebäude Universität Bern, HS 220
- Lecture and discussion in German
Dr. Urs Vögeli (Swiss Institute for Global Affairs): Geopolitik im Wandel – Neue Konflikte und Strukturen fordern den Westen heraus
Das BRICS-Konstrukt, aber auch die Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO etablieren sich und formen eine alternative Weltordnung. Gleichzeitig artikulieren sich alte Konflikte, wobei sich die Vorzeichen, Konstellationen und Perspektiven ebenfalls verschieben. Das Swiss Institute for Global Affairs beschäftigt sich intensiv mit diesem Wandel der Geopolitik und stellt seine Thesen zur Diskussion.
- Title: Geopolitik im Wandel – Neue Konflikte und Strukturen fordern den Westen heraus
- Date and time: October 23, 18:30 – 19:30 Uhr
- Hauptgebäude Universität Bern, HS 101
- Lecture and discussion in German
David Sondermann (European Central Bank): Productivity Developments in the Euro Area
David Sondermann from the European Central Bank will give a presentation on productivity developments in the euro area. He will discuss the structural challenges that are dampening productivity growth in Europe. He will also explain why productivity growth in the eurozone has been dampened by specific temporary factors in recent years and why, according to his analysis, at least a slight recovery can now be expected.
- Title: Reasons for the recent decline in productivity growth in the euro area
- Date and time: September 4, 2024, 12:00 – 13:00 (Central European Summer Time)
- Online
- Lecture and discussion in English, co-organized by the Swiss network for productivity growth
Registration to receive the Zoom link is required here
Olha Sydorenko: The National Bank of Ukraine during the war (webinar)
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has presented the National Bank of Ukraine with enormous challenges. For example, it had to ensure that the financial system continued to function under dramatic circumstances. Employees were distributed throughout the country. Some were working from occupied areas.
Olha Sydorenko will tell us about the many economic challenges and measures by the Ukrainian central bank during the war. Olha Sydorenko has 12 years of experience in central banking. From 2020 to June 2023, she was the Principal Economist in the Office for European Integration and International Programs at the National Bank of Ukraine. She now lives in Switzerland.
- Title: The National Bank of Ukraine during the war
- Date and time: June 28, 2024, 12:15 – 13:15 (Central European Time, webinar)
- Online
- Lecture and discussion in English
Registration here is necessary to receive the zoom link for participation.
Robert Gordon: Productivity Growth in Europe and the United States
Productivity growth in many advanced economies has been weaker in recent years than in the decades following the Second World War. Since the financial crisis, it has been lower in Europe (including Switzerland) than in the United States, according to official figures, but similar to Japan or Canada. What are the reasons for these differences? And is it possible to make a forecast for the future?
We talk about these issues with Robert Gordon, one of the most important researchers in the field of long-term productivity and economic growth. In a webinar, he will present his analyses and discuss them with us.
- Title: Productivity Growth in Europe and the United States
- Date and time: April 26, 2024, 16:00 – 17:00 (webinar)
- Online
- Lecture and discussion in English
Registration here is necessary to receive the zoom link for participation.
The world’s greatest con? Inside the story of the Icelandic meltdown
The Icelandic financial crisis, barely understood inside or outside of Iceland even today, is a cautionary tale for the world; an inside look at the high crimes that inevitably follow unbridled Wild West capitalism. Switzerland should study the Icelandic financial crisis and try to learn the lessons. Jared Bibler lived in Iceland and managed investment funds before the crash of 2008. Afterwards, he became an investigator of Iceland’s three big fallen banks. In Zürich, Mr Bibler served stints at Deloitte Forensic as well as Head of Surveillance and Enforcement for the SIX Swiss Exchange. Via his firm Katla, named for Iceland’s fiercest volcano, Mr Bibler now advises industry, governmental bodies, NGOs, and think tanks. He is the author of the award-winning book „Iceland’s Secret„, which was described by the Financial Times as “a fantastic read”.
- Date and time: March 20, 2024, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
- Location: University of Bern, lecture room HS 220 in the main building at Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern.
- Apero 7.45 pm
Previous events took place with Carlos Lenz (SNB), Petra Tschudin (SNB), Julie Tomka (SIF), Fabian Schär (University of Basel), Daniel Kaufmann (University of Neuchâtel), Beat Habegger (Swiss Re), Ronald Indergand (Seco), and Jörg Schläpfer (Wüest Partner).