Project acronym 2DTHERMS
Project Design of new thermoelectric devices based on layered and field modulated nanostructures of strongly correlated electron systems
Researcher (PI) Jose Francisco Rivadulla Fernandez
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Design of new thermoelectric devices based on layered and field modulated nanostructures of strongly correlated electron systems
Summary
Design of new thermoelectric devices based on layered and field modulated nanostructures of strongly correlated electron systems
Max ERC Funding
1 427 190 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym CHANGING FAMILIES
Project Changing Families: Causes, Consequences and Challenges for Public Policy
Researcher (PI) Nezih Guner
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIÓ MARKETS, ORGANIZATIONS AND VOTES IN ECONOMICS
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary The household and family structure in every major industrialized country changed in a fundamental way during the last couple of decades. First, marriage is less important today, as divorce, cohabitation, and single-motherhood are much more common. Second, female labor force participation has increased dramatically. As a result of these changes, today s households are very far from traditional breadwinner husband and housekeeper wife paradigm. These dramatic changes generated significant public interest and a large body of literature that tries to understand causes and consequences of these changes.
This project has two main goals. First, it studies changes in household and family structure. The particular questions that it tries to answer are: 1) What are economic factors behind the rise in premarital sex and its destigmatization? What determines parents incentives to socialize their children and affect their attitudes? 2) What are the causes and consequences of the recent rise in assortative mating and diverging marriage patterns by different educational groups? 3) Why are marriage patterns among blacks so different than whites in the U.S.?
The second aim of this project is to improve our understanding of income risk, the role of social insurance policies and labor market dynamics by building models that explicitly considers two-earner households. In particular, we ask the following set of questions: 1) What is the role of social insurance policies (income maintenance programs or progressive taxation) in an economy populated by two-earner households facing uninsurable idiosyncratic risk? 2) How does marriage and labor market dynamics interact and how important this interaction for our understanding of labor supply and marriage decisions?
Summary
The household and family structure in every major industrialized country changed in a fundamental way during the last couple of decades. First, marriage is less important today, as divorce, cohabitation, and single-motherhood are much more common. Second, female labor force participation has increased dramatically. As a result of these changes, today s households are very far from traditional breadwinner husband and housekeeper wife paradigm. These dramatic changes generated significant public interest and a large body of literature that tries to understand causes and consequences of these changes.
This project has two main goals. First, it studies changes in household and family structure. The particular questions that it tries to answer are: 1) What are economic factors behind the rise in premarital sex and its destigmatization? What determines parents incentives to socialize their children and affect their attitudes? 2) What are the causes and consequences of the recent rise in assortative mating and diverging marriage patterns by different educational groups? 3) Why are marriage patterns among blacks so different than whites in the U.S.?
The second aim of this project is to improve our understanding of income risk, the role of social insurance policies and labor market dynamics by building models that explicitly considers two-earner households. In particular, we ask the following set of questions: 1) What is the role of social insurance policies (income maintenance programs or progressive taxation) in an economy populated by two-earner households facing uninsurable idiosyncratic risk? 2) How does marriage and labor market dynamics interact and how important this interaction for our understanding of labor supply and marriage decisions?
Max ERC Funding
1 037 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym ENMUH
Project Estimation of Nonlinear Models with Unobserved Heterogeneity
Researcher (PI) Stephane Olivier Bonhomme
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACION CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS MONETARIOS Y FINANCIEROS
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary Modern economic research emphasizes heterogeneity in various dimensions, such as individual preferences or firms’ technology. From an empirical perspective, the presence of unobserved heterogeneity (to the econometrician) creates challenging identification and estimation problems. In this proposal we explore these issues in a context where repeated observations are available for the same individual, and the researcher disposes of panel data. Most research to date adopts either of three approaches. One approach consists in modeling the distribution of unobserved heterogeneity, following a random-effects perspective (Chamberlain, 1984). Another approach looks for clever model-specific ways of differencing out the unobserved heterogeneity (Andersen, 1970, Honore and Kyriazidou, 2000). A more recent line of research relies on approximations that become more accurate when the number of observations per individual T gets large (Arellano and Hahn, 2006). Here we consider situations where T may be small, and the researcher does not restrict the distribution of the unobserved fixed effects. We will propose a new functional differencing approach which differences out the probability distribution of unobserved heterogeneity. This approach will generally be applicable in models with continuous dependent variables, emphasizing a possibility of point-identification of the structural parameters in those models. When outcomes are discrete, we will propose a nonlinear differencing strategy that delivers useful bounds on parameters in the presence of partial identification (Honore and Tamer, 2006).
Summary
Modern economic research emphasizes heterogeneity in various dimensions, such as individual preferences or firms’ technology. From an empirical perspective, the presence of unobserved heterogeneity (to the econometrician) creates challenging identification and estimation problems. In this proposal we explore these issues in a context where repeated observations are available for the same individual, and the researcher disposes of panel data. Most research to date adopts either of three approaches. One approach consists in modeling the distribution of unobserved heterogeneity, following a random-effects perspective (Chamberlain, 1984). Another approach looks for clever model-specific ways of differencing out the unobserved heterogeneity (Andersen, 1970, Honore and Kyriazidou, 2000). A more recent line of research relies on approximations that become more accurate when the number of observations per individual T gets large (Arellano and Hahn, 2006). Here we consider situations where T may be small, and the researcher does not restrict the distribution of the unobserved fixed effects. We will propose a new functional differencing approach which differences out the probability distribution of unobserved heterogeneity. This approach will generally be applicable in models with continuous dependent variables, emphasizing a possibility of point-identification of the structural parameters in those models. When outcomes are discrete, we will propose a nonlinear differencing strategy that delivers useful bounds on parameters in the presence of partial identification (Honore and Tamer, 2006).
Max ERC Funding
1 410 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-12-01, End date: 2015-11-30
Project acronym FLINT
Project Finite-Length Information Theory
Researcher (PI) Albert Guillen I Fabregas
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Shannon's Information Theory establishes the fundamental limits of information processing systems. A concept that is hidden in the mathematical proofs most of the Information Theory literature, is that in order to achieve the fundamental limits we need sequences of infinite duration. Practical information processing systems have strict limitations in terms of length, induced by system constraints on delay and complexity. The vast majority of the Information Theory literature ignores these constraints and theoretical studies that provide a finite-length treatment of information processing are hence urgently needed. When finite-lengths are employed, asymptotic techniques (laws of large numbers, large deviations) cannot be invoked and new techniques must be sought. A fundamental understanding of the impact of finite-lengths is crucial to harvesting the potential gains in practice. This project is aimed at contributing towards the ambitious goal of providing a unified framework for the study of finite-length Information Theory. The approach in this project will be based on information-spectrum combined with tight bounding techniques. A comprehensive study of finite-length information theory will represent a major step forward in Information Theory, with the potential to provide new tools and techniques to solve open problems in multiple disciplines. This unconventional and challenging treatment of Information Theory will advance the area and will contribute to disciplines where Information Theory is relevant. Therefore, the results of this project will be of benefit to areas such as communication theory, probability theory, statistics, physics, computer science, mathematics, economics, bioinformatics and computational neuroscience.
Summary
Shannon's Information Theory establishes the fundamental limits of information processing systems. A concept that is hidden in the mathematical proofs most of the Information Theory literature, is that in order to achieve the fundamental limits we need sequences of infinite duration. Practical information processing systems have strict limitations in terms of length, induced by system constraints on delay and complexity. The vast majority of the Information Theory literature ignores these constraints and theoretical studies that provide a finite-length treatment of information processing are hence urgently needed. When finite-lengths are employed, asymptotic techniques (laws of large numbers, large deviations) cannot be invoked and new techniques must be sought. A fundamental understanding of the impact of finite-lengths is crucial to harvesting the potential gains in practice. This project is aimed at contributing towards the ambitious goal of providing a unified framework for the study of finite-length Information Theory. The approach in this project will be based on information-spectrum combined with tight bounding techniques. A comprehensive study of finite-length information theory will represent a major step forward in Information Theory, with the potential to provide new tools and techniques to solve open problems in multiple disciplines. This unconventional and challenging treatment of Information Theory will advance the area and will contribute to disciplines where Information Theory is relevant. Therefore, the results of this project will be of benefit to areas such as communication theory, probability theory, statistics, physics, computer science, mathematics, economics, bioinformatics and computational neuroscience.
Max ERC Funding
1 303 606 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-08-01, End date: 2017-07-31
Project acronym KF&EM
Project International Capital Flows and Emerging Markets
Researcher (PI) Fernando Ariel Broner
Host Institution (HI) Centre de Recerca en Economia Internacional (CREI)
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary Financial liberalization in emerging markets has not produced the benefits predicted by conventional, neoclassical models. There is consensus that in reality financial frictions must play a larger role than these models anticipated. The objective of this research project is to enhance our understanding of how this happens, emphasizing the interactions between financial integration and the workings of domestic financial markets.
The project is structured around a set of related questions. (i) Can these interactions account for the macroeconomic effects of financial liberalization? (ii) How should emerging markets manage financial integration? Should they rely on financial systems that facilitate segmentation between domestic and international markets, as in the 70s and 80s? (iii) What are the implications for the global imbalances that contributed to the recent crisis? Can emerging markets export their vulnerabilities to advanced countries? (iv) Can these interactions explain the appearance of bubbles? What are their effects on the workings of international and domestic financial markets?
Gross capital flows reflect risk in domestic financial markets and also raise this risk by increasing the incentives to default. This complementarity is highly destabilizing. (v) Does the recent global financial crisis and associated collapse in gross capital flows reflect such forces? Have they been present in previous crises, particularly in emerging markets?
Emerging markets are more financially integrated than during the cold war. But the current situation has an antecedent in the late 19th century. Traditionally, integration is taken as exogenous. I will explore the forces that shape the process of integration. (vi) Is there any relationship between the existence of a hegemonic power, Britain in the late 19th century and the US since the 1980s, and financial integration? (vii) What will be the effect of the ongoing weakening of the hegemonic power of the US?
Summary
Financial liberalization in emerging markets has not produced the benefits predicted by conventional, neoclassical models. There is consensus that in reality financial frictions must play a larger role than these models anticipated. The objective of this research project is to enhance our understanding of how this happens, emphasizing the interactions between financial integration and the workings of domestic financial markets.
The project is structured around a set of related questions. (i) Can these interactions account for the macroeconomic effects of financial liberalization? (ii) How should emerging markets manage financial integration? Should they rely on financial systems that facilitate segmentation between domestic and international markets, as in the 70s and 80s? (iii) What are the implications for the global imbalances that contributed to the recent crisis? Can emerging markets export their vulnerabilities to advanced countries? (iv) Can these interactions explain the appearance of bubbles? What are their effects on the workings of international and domestic financial markets?
Gross capital flows reflect risk in domestic financial markets and also raise this risk by increasing the incentives to default. This complementarity is highly destabilizing. (v) Does the recent global financial crisis and associated collapse in gross capital flows reflect such forces? Have they been present in previous crises, particularly in emerging markets?
Emerging markets are more financially integrated than during the cold war. But the current situation has an antecedent in the late 19th century. Traditionally, integration is taken as exogenous. I will explore the forces that shape the process of integration. (vi) Is there any relationship between the existence of a hegemonic power, Britain in the late 19th century and the US since the 1980s, and financial integration? (vii) What will be the effect of the ongoing weakening of the hegemonic power of the US?
Max ERC Funding
900 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-09-30
Project acronym PLANT CIRES BIOTECH
Project Functional characterization of plant cellular IRES in response to abiotic stress and their use as biotechnological tools
Researcher (PI) MarIa Del Mar Castellano
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACION Y TECNOLOGIA AGRARIA Y ALIMENTARIA OA MP
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary To cope with abiotic stresses plants require an extensive molecular regulation of gene expression. In plants, translation is a key step in the control of gene expression under abiotic stress conditions. This translational regulation involves (1) a global inhibition of protein synthesis and (2) an efficient and selective translation of certain mRNAs, generally codifying proteins involved in the abiotic stress response. Although in plants the mechanisms involved in the onset of this dual regulation are currently unknown, some evidences point out that cap independent translation, via recognition of internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) within the mRNAs efficiently translated, could be the clue for the selective protein synthesis observed under such conditions.
In this proposal we aim to further characterize the cellular IRESs operating under abiotic stress conditions in plants and to exploit the identified cellular IRESs as biotechnological tools to allow the efficient and selective translation of mRNAs of interest under abiotic stress conditions. In plants, no IRES trans-acting factors (ITAFs) and only two cellular IRESs have been identified so far. Therefore, the systematic identification of new cellular IRESs, the identification for the first time of ITAFs and the study of how they can control IRES activity-specificity under abiotic stress conditions are important steps forward in the knowledge of how plants adapt to environmental stresses. In addition, the pioneering use of the identified cellular IRESs as a tool to tightly and specifically control the expression of proteins of interest under abiotic stress conditions will open up a new perspective for the study of abiotic stress in plants and for the generation of plants with increased tolerance to such conditions.
Summary
To cope with abiotic stresses plants require an extensive molecular regulation of gene expression. In plants, translation is a key step in the control of gene expression under abiotic stress conditions. This translational regulation involves (1) a global inhibition of protein synthesis and (2) an efficient and selective translation of certain mRNAs, generally codifying proteins involved in the abiotic stress response. Although in plants the mechanisms involved in the onset of this dual regulation are currently unknown, some evidences point out that cap independent translation, via recognition of internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) within the mRNAs efficiently translated, could be the clue for the selective protein synthesis observed under such conditions.
In this proposal we aim to further characterize the cellular IRESs operating under abiotic stress conditions in plants and to exploit the identified cellular IRESs as biotechnological tools to allow the efficient and selective translation of mRNAs of interest under abiotic stress conditions. In plants, no IRES trans-acting factors (ITAFs) and only two cellular IRESs have been identified so far. Therefore, the systematic identification of new cellular IRESs, the identification for the first time of ITAFs and the study of how they can control IRES activity-specificity under abiotic stress conditions are important steps forward in the knowledge of how plants adapt to environmental stresses. In addition, the pioneering use of the identified cellular IRESs as a tool to tightly and specifically control the expression of proteins of interest under abiotic stress conditions will open up a new perspective for the study of abiotic stress in plants and for the generation of plants with increased tolerance to such conditions.
Max ERC Funding
1 237 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-12-01, End date: 2017-05-31
Project acronym SRITECH
Project The role of Technology, Models, and Metrics in the Socially Responsible Investing Field
Researcher (PI) Fabrizio Ferraro
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE NAVARRA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary I propose to study the emergence of the socially responsible investing field. Responsible investing refers to the consideration of the impact of environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) in the choice of financial investments, and the integration of these factors in traditional financial portfolio analysis and engagement activity. This phenomenon is growing quickly but whether or not these new practices will be effective in influencing corporate behaviour in more responsible ways remains an open question. In this project I will focus my attention on three related processes: the design of novel technological and data infrastructure for responsible investing, the emergence of novel investing practices, and finally the role of engagement in the process. To explore them in depth, I have designed a multi-method study of the key players in this emerging field, and structured it around three studies: study 1 will explore the design and deployment of a novel data and information platform in one of the leading information providers in the financial markets; study 2 will focus on the different ways in which asset managers are attempting to integrate ESG factors and traditional financial analysis; study 3 will focus on the engagement process at the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, with a focus on both the practices and their outcome.
This study will contribute to our understanding of the relationship between socio-political values and financial value, and help further our understanding of financial markets, and provide interesting insights for finance practitioners and policy-makers on how to develop a robust responsible investing community.
Summary
I propose to study the emergence of the socially responsible investing field. Responsible investing refers to the consideration of the impact of environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) in the choice of financial investments, and the integration of these factors in traditional financial portfolio analysis and engagement activity. This phenomenon is growing quickly but whether or not these new practices will be effective in influencing corporate behaviour in more responsible ways remains an open question. In this project I will focus my attention on three related processes: the design of novel technological and data infrastructure for responsible investing, the emergence of novel investing practices, and finally the role of engagement in the process. To explore them in depth, I have designed a multi-method study of the key players in this emerging field, and structured it around three studies: study 1 will explore the design and deployment of a novel data and information platform in one of the leading information providers in the financial markets; study 2 will focus on the different ways in which asset managers are attempting to integrate ESG factors and traditional financial analysis; study 3 will focus on the engagement process at the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, with a focus on both the practices and their outcome.
This study will contribute to our understanding of the relationship between socio-political values and financial value, and help further our understanding of financial markets, and provide interesting insights for finance practitioners and policy-makers on how to develop a robust responsible investing community.
Max ERC Funding
1 213 140 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2015-12-31
Project acronym TERATOMO
Project Near-field Spectroscopic Nanotomography at Infrared and Terahertz Frequencies
Researcher (PI) Rainer Hillenbrand
Host Institution (HI) ASOCIACION CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONCOOPERATIVA EN NANOCIENCIAS CIC NANOGUNE
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Fundamental understanding and engineering of composite materials, biological structures and building
blocks for electrical and optical devices of nanoscale dimensions necessitate the availability of advanced
microscopy tools for mapping their local chemical, structural and free-carrier properties. But while optical
spectroscopy, particularly in the infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) frequency range, has tremendous merit in
measuring such properties optically, the diffraction-limited spatial resolution has been preventing IR and
THz microscopy applications for the longest time to be used in nanoscale materials and device analysis, bioimaging,
industrial failure analysis and quality control.
During the last years we pioneered the field of IR and THz near-field microscopy, which allows twodimensional
(2D) spectroscopic IR and THz imaging of a sample surface with nanoscale spatial resolution,
independent of the wavelength. Key achievements of our work are the nanoscale resolved near-field mapping
of chemical compositions of polymer blends, mechanical strain fields in ceramics and free-carrier
concentrations in doped semiconductor transistors.
The core objective of this proposal is to develop a three-dimensional (3D) spectroscopic imaging method in
a wide spectral range between infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) frequencies with nanoscale spatial
resolution, a method that does not and not even nearly exist today. Our approach will be based on scatteringtype
scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM), even though s-SNOM is generally considered to be a
surface mapping technique. Instead of scanning the surface, it is proposed to scan a volume above the sample
surface. By using appropriate reconstruction methods, the three-dimensional structure of the sample volume
below the sample surface could be obtained in principle. We recently conducted a theoretical study, which
confirmed the fundamental feasibility of this novel approach that shall be experimentally realized within this
proposal.
The proposed method of IR and THz nanotomography could become a new paradigm in nanoscale optical
imaging. Near-field nanotomography will have the potential to open new and even unexpected avenues for
optical characterization throughout all nanosciences, such as non-invasive, chemical identification of single
(biological) nanoparticles in complex 3D-nanostructures or the measurement of the local free-carrier
concentration and mobility in semiconductor nanowires or devices with 3D-architecture.
Summary
Fundamental understanding and engineering of composite materials, biological structures and building
blocks for electrical and optical devices of nanoscale dimensions necessitate the availability of advanced
microscopy tools for mapping their local chemical, structural and free-carrier properties. But while optical
spectroscopy, particularly in the infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) frequency range, has tremendous merit in
measuring such properties optically, the diffraction-limited spatial resolution has been preventing IR and
THz microscopy applications for the longest time to be used in nanoscale materials and device analysis, bioimaging,
industrial failure analysis and quality control.
During the last years we pioneered the field of IR and THz near-field microscopy, which allows twodimensional
(2D) spectroscopic IR and THz imaging of a sample surface with nanoscale spatial resolution,
independent of the wavelength. Key achievements of our work are the nanoscale resolved near-field mapping
of chemical compositions of polymer blends, mechanical strain fields in ceramics and free-carrier
concentrations in doped semiconductor transistors.
The core objective of this proposal is to develop a three-dimensional (3D) spectroscopic imaging method in
a wide spectral range between infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) frequencies with nanoscale spatial
resolution, a method that does not and not even nearly exist today. Our approach will be based on scatteringtype
scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM), even though s-SNOM is generally considered to be a
surface mapping technique. Instead of scanning the surface, it is proposed to scan a volume above the sample
surface. By using appropriate reconstruction methods, the three-dimensional structure of the sample volume
below the sample surface could be obtained in principle. We recently conducted a theoretical study, which
confirmed the fundamental feasibility of this novel approach that shall be experimentally realized within this
proposal.
The proposed method of IR and THz nanotomography could become a new paradigm in nanoscale optical
imaging. Near-field nanotomography will have the potential to open new and even unexpected avenues for
optical characterization throughout all nanosciences, such as non-invasive, chemical identification of single
(biological) nanoparticles in complex 3D-nanostructures or the measurement of the local free-carrier
concentration and mobility in semiconductor nanowires or devices with 3D-architecture.
Max ERC Funding
1 455 600 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
