Project acronym 3DBIOLUNG
Project Bioengineering lung tissue using extracellular matrix based 3D bioprinting
Researcher (PI) Darcy WAGNER
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Chronic lung diseases are increasing in prevalence with over 65 million patients worldwide. Lung transplantation remains the only potential option at end-stage disease. Around 4000 patients receive lung transplants annually with more awaiting transplantation, including 1000 patients in Europe. New options to increase available tissue for lung transplantation are desperately needed.
An exciting new research area focuses on generating lung tissue ex vivo using bioengineering approaches. Scaffolds can be generated from synthetic or biologically-derived (acellular) materials, seeded with cells and grown in a bioreactor prior to transplantation. Ideally, scaffolds would be seeded with cells derived from the transplant recipient, thus obviating the need for long-term immunosuppression. However, functional regeneration has yet to be achieved. New advances in 3D printing and 3D bioprinting (when cells are printed) indicate that this once thought of science-fiction concept might finally be mature enough for complex tissues, including lung. 3D bioprinting addresses a number of concerns identified in previous approaches, such as a) patient heterogeneity in acellular human scaffolds, b) anatomical differences in xenogeneic sources, c) lack of biological cues on synthetic materials and d) difficulty in manufacturing the complex lung architecture. 3D bioprinting could be a reproducible, scalable, and controllable approach for generating functional lung tissue.
The aim of this proposal is to use custom 3D bioprinters to generate constructs mimicking lung tissue using an innovative approach combining primary cells, the engineering reproducibility of synthetic materials, and the biologically conductive properties of acellular lung (hybrid). We will 3D bioprint hybrid murine and human lung tissue models and test gas exchange, angiogenesis and in vivo immune responses. This proposal will be a critical first step in demonstrating feasibility of 3D bioprinting lung tissue.
Summary
Chronic lung diseases are increasing in prevalence with over 65 million patients worldwide. Lung transplantation remains the only potential option at end-stage disease. Around 4000 patients receive lung transplants annually with more awaiting transplantation, including 1000 patients in Europe. New options to increase available tissue for lung transplantation are desperately needed.
An exciting new research area focuses on generating lung tissue ex vivo using bioengineering approaches. Scaffolds can be generated from synthetic or biologically-derived (acellular) materials, seeded with cells and grown in a bioreactor prior to transplantation. Ideally, scaffolds would be seeded with cells derived from the transplant recipient, thus obviating the need for long-term immunosuppression. However, functional regeneration has yet to be achieved. New advances in 3D printing and 3D bioprinting (when cells are printed) indicate that this once thought of science-fiction concept might finally be mature enough for complex tissues, including lung. 3D bioprinting addresses a number of concerns identified in previous approaches, such as a) patient heterogeneity in acellular human scaffolds, b) anatomical differences in xenogeneic sources, c) lack of biological cues on synthetic materials and d) difficulty in manufacturing the complex lung architecture. 3D bioprinting could be a reproducible, scalable, and controllable approach for generating functional lung tissue.
The aim of this proposal is to use custom 3D bioprinters to generate constructs mimicking lung tissue using an innovative approach combining primary cells, the engineering reproducibility of synthetic materials, and the biologically conductive properties of acellular lung (hybrid). We will 3D bioprint hybrid murine and human lung tissue models and test gas exchange, angiogenesis and in vivo immune responses. This proposal will be a critical first step in demonstrating feasibility of 3D bioprinting lung tissue.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 975 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym AfricanNeo
Project The African Neolithic: A genetic perspective
Researcher (PI) Carina SCHLEBUSCH
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2017-STG
Summary The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived.
The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Summary
The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived.
The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-11-01, End date: 2022-10-31
Project acronym AFRODITE
Project Advanced Fluid Research On Drag reduction In Turbulence Experiments
Researcher (PI) Jens Henrik Mikael Fransson
Host Institution (HI) KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary A hot topic in today's debate on global warming is drag reduction in aeronautics. The most beneficial concept for drag reduction is to maintain the major portion of the airfoil laminar. Estimations show that the potential drag reduction can be as much as 15%, which would give a significant reduction of NOx and CO emissions in the atmosphere considering that the number of aircraft take offs, only in the EU, is over 19 million per year. An important element for successful flow control, which can lead to a reduced aerodynamic drag, is enhanced physical understanding of the transition to turbulence process.
In previous wind tunnel measurements we have shown that roughness elements can be used to sensibly delay transition to turbulence. The result is revolutionary, since the common belief has been that surface roughness causes earlier transition and in turn increases the drag, and is a proof of concept of the passive control method per se. The beauty with a passive control technique is that no external energy has to be added to the flow system in order to perform the control, instead one uses the existing energy in the flow.
In this project proposal, AFRODITE, we will take this passive control method to the next level by making it twofold, more persistent and more robust. Transition prevention is the goal rather than transition delay and the method will be extended to simultaneously control separation, which is another unwanted flow phenomenon especially during airplane take offs. AFRODITE will be a catalyst for innovative research, which will lead to a cleaner sky.
Summary
A hot topic in today's debate on global warming is drag reduction in aeronautics. The most beneficial concept for drag reduction is to maintain the major portion of the airfoil laminar. Estimations show that the potential drag reduction can be as much as 15%, which would give a significant reduction of NOx and CO emissions in the atmosphere considering that the number of aircraft take offs, only in the EU, is over 19 million per year. An important element for successful flow control, which can lead to a reduced aerodynamic drag, is enhanced physical understanding of the transition to turbulence process.
In previous wind tunnel measurements we have shown that roughness elements can be used to sensibly delay transition to turbulence. The result is revolutionary, since the common belief has been that surface roughness causes earlier transition and in turn increases the drag, and is a proof of concept of the passive control method per se. The beauty with a passive control technique is that no external energy has to be added to the flow system in order to perform the control, instead one uses the existing energy in the flow.
In this project proposal, AFRODITE, we will take this passive control method to the next level by making it twofold, more persistent and more robust. Transition prevention is the goal rather than transition delay and the method will be extended to simultaneously control separation, which is another unwanted flow phenomenon especially during airplane take offs. AFRODITE will be a catalyst for innovative research, which will lead to a cleaner sky.
Max ERC Funding
1 418 399 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym AGINGSEXDIFF
Project Aging Differently: Understanding Sex Differences in Reproductive, Demographic and Functional Senescence
Researcher (PI) Alexei Maklakov
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Sex differences in life span and aging are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and represent a
long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. In most species, including humans, sexes differ not
only in how long they live and when they start to senesce, but also in how they react to
environmental interventions aimed at prolonging their life span or decelerating the onset of aging.
Therefore, sex differences in life span and aging have important implications beyond the questions
posed by fundamental science. Both evolutionary reasons and medical implications of sex
differences in demographic, reproductive and physiological senescence are and will be crucial
targets of present and future research in the biology of aging. Here I propose a two-step approach
that can provide a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the biological basis of sex
differences in aging. First, I propose to resolve the age-old conundrum regarding the role of sexspecific
mortality rate in sex differences in aging by developing a series of targeted experimental
evolution studies in a novel model organism – the nematode, Caenorhabditis remanei. Second, I
address the role of intra-locus sexual conflict in the evolution of aging by combining novel
methodology from nutritional ecology – the Geometric Framework – with artificial selection
approach using the cricket Teleogryllus commodus and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. I will
directly test the hypothesis that intra-locus sexual conflict mediates aging by restricting the
adaptive evolution of diet choice. By combining techniques from evolutionary biology and
nutritional ecology, this proposal will raise EU’s profile in integrative research, and contribute to
the training of young scientists in this rapidly developing field.
Summary
Sex differences in life span and aging are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and represent a
long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. In most species, including humans, sexes differ not
only in how long they live and when they start to senesce, but also in how they react to
environmental interventions aimed at prolonging their life span or decelerating the onset of aging.
Therefore, sex differences in life span and aging have important implications beyond the questions
posed by fundamental science. Both evolutionary reasons and medical implications of sex
differences in demographic, reproductive and physiological senescence are and will be crucial
targets of present and future research in the biology of aging. Here I propose a two-step approach
that can provide a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the biological basis of sex
differences in aging. First, I propose to resolve the age-old conundrum regarding the role of sexspecific
mortality rate in sex differences in aging by developing a series of targeted experimental
evolution studies in a novel model organism – the nematode, Caenorhabditis remanei. Second, I
address the role of intra-locus sexual conflict in the evolution of aging by combining novel
methodology from nutritional ecology – the Geometric Framework – with artificial selection
approach using the cricket Teleogryllus commodus and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. I will
directly test the hypothesis that intra-locus sexual conflict mediates aging by restricting the
adaptive evolution of diet choice. By combining techniques from evolutionary biology and
nutritional ecology, this proposal will raise EU’s profile in integrative research, and contribute to
the training of young scientists in this rapidly developing field.
Max ERC Funding
1 391 904 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-12-01, End date: 2016-05-31
Project acronym AGRIMKT
Project Improving Market Access for Farmers: Evidence from East Africa
Researcher (PI) Lorenzo Casaburi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT ZURICH
Country Switzerland
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Agriculture employs the majority of the labor force in many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing efficiency of agricultural production is a crucial step to foster economic development. Limited access to both input and output markets is widely considered a major obstacle to technology adoption and, in turn, to agricultural productivity.
In this proposal, I outline a research program that focuses on improving farmers’ market access in East Africa. The research builds on the expertise I have developed on these topics over the last ten years.
The research program consists of three related projects. In Project A, we will use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impact of a holistic approach to improve market access: contract farming. The prevalence of contract farming arrangements in the developing world is growing. However, so far, there is no experimental evidence on their impact. We have established a partnership with a large contract farming company in Kenya, which has agreed to randomize the order in which it will expand to new villages.
In Project B, we will study how to increase demand for crop insurance among smallholders. Building on previous successful experimental work, we will test i) whether offering pay-at-harvest insurance, as opposed to upfront premium pay, raises take-up, ii) which behavioral mechanisms may drive such response, and iii) whether pay-at-harvest can foster sustained insurance demand over multiple crop seasons.
In Project C, we will combine parcel-level proprietary data for three decades that we obtained from a large agribusiness company with land registry data to study the determinants and impact of land market access for smallholders.
The research program will generate new insights on how to improve access to key markets for agricultural producers. We expect the findings of the study will generate high interest among academics, development practitioners, and policymakers.
Summary
Agriculture employs the majority of the labor force in many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing efficiency of agricultural production is a crucial step to foster economic development. Limited access to both input and output markets is widely considered a major obstacle to technology adoption and, in turn, to agricultural productivity.
In this proposal, I outline a research program that focuses on improving farmers’ market access in East Africa. The research builds on the expertise I have developed on these topics over the last ten years.
The research program consists of three related projects. In Project A, we will use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impact of a holistic approach to improve market access: contract farming. The prevalence of contract farming arrangements in the developing world is growing. However, so far, there is no experimental evidence on their impact. We have established a partnership with a large contract farming company in Kenya, which has agreed to randomize the order in which it will expand to new villages.
In Project B, we will study how to increase demand for crop insurance among smallholders. Building on previous successful experimental work, we will test i) whether offering pay-at-harvest insurance, as opposed to upfront premium pay, raises take-up, ii) which behavioral mechanisms may drive such response, and iii) whether pay-at-harvest can foster sustained insurance demand over multiple crop seasons.
In Project C, we will combine parcel-level proprietary data for three decades that we obtained from a large agribusiness company with land registry data to study the determinants and impact of land market access for smallholders.
The research program will generate new insights on how to improve access to key markets for agricultural producers. We expect the findings of the study will generate high interest among academics, development practitioners, and policymakers.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 913 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-01-01, End date: 2025-12-31
Project acronym AUTOMATION
Project AUTOMATION AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION: A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT
Researcher (PI) David Hemous
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT ZURICH
Country Switzerland
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Since the invention of the spinning frame, automation has been one of the drivers of economic growth. Yet, workers, economist or the general public have been concerned that automation may destroy jobs or create inequality. This concern is particularly prevalent today with the sustained rise in economic inequality and fast technological progress in IT, robotics or self-driving cars. The empirical literature has showed the impact of automation on income distribution. Yet, the level of wages itself should also affect the incentives to undertake automation innovations. Understanding this feedback is key to assess the long-term effect of policies. My project aims to provide the first quantitative account of the two-way relationship between automation and the income distribution.
It is articulated around three parts. First, I will use patent data to study empirically the causal effect of wages on automation innovations. To do so, I will build firm-level variation in the wages of the customers of innovating firms by exploiting variations in firms’ exposure to international markets. Second, I will study empirically the causal effect of automation innovations on wages. There, I will focus on local labour market and use the patent data to build exogenous variations in local knowledge. Third, I will calibrate an endogenous growth model with firm dynamics and automation using Danish firm-level data. The model will replicate stylized facts on the labour share distribution across firms. It will be used to compute the contribution of automation to economic growth or the decline of the labour share. Moreover, as a whole, the project will use two different methods (regression analysis and calibrated model) and two different types of data, to answer questions of crucial policy importance such as: Taking into account the response of automation, what are the long-term effects on wages of an increase in the minimum wage, a reduction in labour costs, or a robot tax?
Summary
Since the invention of the spinning frame, automation has been one of the drivers of economic growth. Yet, workers, economist or the general public have been concerned that automation may destroy jobs or create inequality. This concern is particularly prevalent today with the sustained rise in economic inequality and fast technological progress in IT, robotics or self-driving cars. The empirical literature has showed the impact of automation on income distribution. Yet, the level of wages itself should also affect the incentives to undertake automation innovations. Understanding this feedback is key to assess the long-term effect of policies. My project aims to provide the first quantitative account of the two-way relationship between automation and the income distribution.
It is articulated around three parts. First, I will use patent data to study empirically the causal effect of wages on automation innovations. To do so, I will build firm-level variation in the wages of the customers of innovating firms by exploiting variations in firms’ exposure to international markets. Second, I will study empirically the causal effect of automation innovations on wages. There, I will focus on local labour market and use the patent data to build exogenous variations in local knowledge. Third, I will calibrate an endogenous growth model with firm dynamics and automation using Danish firm-level data. The model will replicate stylized facts on the labour share distribution across firms. It will be used to compute the contribution of automation to economic growth or the decline of the labour share. Moreover, as a whole, the project will use two different methods (regression analysis and calibrated model) and two different types of data, to answer questions of crucial policy importance such as: Taking into account the response of automation, what are the long-term effects on wages of an increase in the minimum wage, a reduction in labour costs, or a robot tax?
Max ERC Funding
1 295 890 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31
Project acronym BATMAN
Project Development of Quantitative Metrologies to Guide Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturing
Researcher (PI) Vanessa Wood
Host Institution (HI) EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH
Country Switzerland
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Lithium ion batteries offer tremendous potential as an enabling technology for sustainable transportation and development. However, their widespread usage as the energy storage solution for electric mobility and grid-level integration of renewables is impeded by the fact that current state-of-the-art lithium ion batteries have energy densities that are too small, charge- and discharge rates that are too low, and costs that are too high. Highly publicized instances of catastrophic failure of lithium ion batteries raise questions of safety. Understanding the limitations to battery performance and origins of the degradation and failure is highly complex due to the difficulties in studying interrelated processes that take place at different length and time scales in a corrosive environment. In the project, we will (1) develop and implement quantitative methods to study the complex interrelations between structure and electrochemistry occurring at the nano-, micron-, and milli-scales in lithium ion battery active materials and electrodes, (2) conduct systematic experimental studies with our new techniques to understand the origins of performance limitations and to develop design guidelines for achieving high performance and safe batteries, and (3) investigate economically viable engineering solutions based on these guidelines to achieve high performance and safe lithium ion batteries.
Summary
Lithium ion batteries offer tremendous potential as an enabling technology for sustainable transportation and development. However, their widespread usage as the energy storage solution for electric mobility and grid-level integration of renewables is impeded by the fact that current state-of-the-art lithium ion batteries have energy densities that are too small, charge- and discharge rates that are too low, and costs that are too high. Highly publicized instances of catastrophic failure of lithium ion batteries raise questions of safety. Understanding the limitations to battery performance and origins of the degradation and failure is highly complex due to the difficulties in studying interrelated processes that take place at different length and time scales in a corrosive environment. In the project, we will (1) develop and implement quantitative methods to study the complex interrelations between structure and electrochemistry occurring at the nano-, micron-, and milli-scales in lithium ion battery active materials and electrodes, (2) conduct systematic experimental studies with our new techniques to understand the origins of performance limitations and to develop design guidelines for achieving high performance and safe batteries, and (3) investigate economically viable engineering solutions based on these guidelines to achieve high performance and safe lithium ion batteries.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-05-01, End date: 2021-10-31
Project acronym BEE NATURAL
Project A sustainable future for honeybees by unravelling the mechanisms of natural disease resistance
Researcher (PI) Barbara Locke Grander
Host Institution (HI) SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2020-STG
Summary The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, vectors lethal honeybee viruses, in particular Deformed wing virus (DWV) and is unarguably the leading cause of honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony mortality world-wide causing critical economic and ecological consequences for pollination-dependent crop production and wild plant biodiversity, respectively. Since the introduction of the mite in the 1970s and 1980s, wild honeybees in Europe and North America have been nearly completely eradicated and managed honeybees only survive through mite control treatment, or otherwise die within 1-2 years. These treatments remove the selective pressure necessary to establish a stable host-parasite relationship, which hampers the evolution of resistance and obstructs fundamental research on natural selection host‒parasite coevolution in this new host‒parasite system, which is now only possible in a few small honeybee populations surviving long-term (>20 years) without varroa control in Sweden, France and Norway. These rare and valuable naturally selected populations offer unique insight into the natural adaptive capacity of honeybees, yet little is understood about their mechanisms of resistance or tolerance to varroa mites and the viruses they vector.
Having exclusive access to these populations, the BEE NATURAL project sets out to comprehensively describe their host resistant and tolerant phenotypes towards both mites and viruses, using a variety of innovative experimental designs, in order to deeper our fundamental understanding of host-parasite interactions. Genomic regions or target genes associated with resistant and tolerant traits will be identified using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies such as RNA-seq and whole genome sequencing (WGS), providing valuable information that can be applied towards developing marker-assisted selection: a powerful new approach for disease resistant breeding that can facilitate major advances in genetic stock improvement.
Summary
The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, vectors lethal honeybee viruses, in particular Deformed wing virus (DWV) and is unarguably the leading cause of honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony mortality world-wide causing critical economic and ecological consequences for pollination-dependent crop production and wild plant biodiversity, respectively. Since the introduction of the mite in the 1970s and 1980s, wild honeybees in Europe and North America have been nearly completely eradicated and managed honeybees only survive through mite control treatment, or otherwise die within 1-2 years. These treatments remove the selective pressure necessary to establish a stable host-parasite relationship, which hampers the evolution of resistance and obstructs fundamental research on natural selection host‒parasite coevolution in this new host‒parasite system, which is now only possible in a few small honeybee populations surviving long-term (>20 years) without varroa control in Sweden, France and Norway. These rare and valuable naturally selected populations offer unique insight into the natural adaptive capacity of honeybees, yet little is understood about their mechanisms of resistance or tolerance to varroa mites and the viruses they vector.
Having exclusive access to these populations, the BEE NATURAL project sets out to comprehensively describe their host resistant and tolerant phenotypes towards both mites and viruses, using a variety of innovative experimental designs, in order to deeper our fundamental understanding of host-parasite interactions. Genomic regions or target genes associated with resistant and tolerant traits will be identified using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies such as RNA-seq and whole genome sequencing (WGS), providing valuable information that can be applied towards developing marker-assisted selection: a powerful new approach for disease resistant breeding that can facilitate major advances in genetic stock improvement.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 703 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-03-01, End date: 2026-02-28
Project acronym BEHAVIORAL THEORY
Project Behavioral Theory and Economic Applications
Researcher (PI) Botond Koszegi
Host Institution (HI) KOZEP-EUROPAI EGYETEM
Country Hungary
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2012-StG_20111124
Summary "This proposal outlines projects to develop robust and portable theories studying the impact of psychological phenomena in economic settings. The proposed work falls in three broad research agendas.
My first main agenda is to formally model and economically apply a simple observation: that when people make decisions, they do not focus equally on all attributes of their available options, and overweight the attributes they focus on. I will build a set of portable models of focusing in attribute-based choice and risky choice based on the idea that a person focuses more on attributes in which her options differ more. I will also use the framework to develop novel, focus-based, theories of intertemporal choice and social preferences, as well as analyze the implications of focusing for product design, principal-agent relationships, and other economic questions.
My second main agenda is to explore some implications for market outcomes, welfare, and policy of the possibility that consumers misperceive certain aspects of products. I will investigate the circumstances that facilitate the profitable deception of consumers; firms' incentives for ""innovating"" deceptive products, including novel financial products aimed at exploiting investors; how firms' ability to distinguish naive and sophisticated consumers affects the consequences of deception; whether learning on the part of consumers will help them to avoid making mistakes; and how regulators and other observers can detect consumer mistakes from market data.
Two further projects apply the model of reference-dependent utility I have developed in earlier work to understand the pricing and advertising behavior of firms. I will also aim to disseminate some of my work, along with other cutting-edge research in psychology and economics, in a Journal of Economic Literature survey on ""Behavioral Contract Theory."""
Summary
"This proposal outlines projects to develop robust and portable theories studying the impact of psychological phenomena in economic settings. The proposed work falls in three broad research agendas.
My first main agenda is to formally model and economically apply a simple observation: that when people make decisions, they do not focus equally on all attributes of their available options, and overweight the attributes they focus on. I will build a set of portable models of focusing in attribute-based choice and risky choice based on the idea that a person focuses more on attributes in which her options differ more. I will also use the framework to develop novel, focus-based, theories of intertemporal choice and social preferences, as well as analyze the implications of focusing for product design, principal-agent relationships, and other economic questions.
My second main agenda is to explore some implications for market outcomes, welfare, and policy of the possibility that consumers misperceive certain aspects of products. I will investigate the circumstances that facilitate the profitable deception of consumers; firms' incentives for ""innovating"" deceptive products, including novel financial products aimed at exploiting investors; how firms' ability to distinguish naive and sophisticated consumers affects the consequences of deception; whether learning on the part of consumers will help them to avoid making mistakes; and how regulators and other observers can detect consumer mistakes from market data.
Two further projects apply the model of reference-dependent utility I have developed in earlier work to understand the pricing and advertising behavior of firms. I will also aim to disseminate some of my work, along with other cutting-edge research in psychology and economics, in a Journal of Economic Literature survey on ""Behavioral Contract Theory."""
Max ERC Funding
1 275 448 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-11-01, End date: 2018-10-31
Project acronym BELIEFS
Project Beliefs and Gender Inequality
Researcher (PI) Teodora Boneva
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT ZURICH
Country Switzerland
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2020-STG
Summary There are large differences in earnings between men and women. Recent work highlights the importance of parenthood for the existence of gender inequality in the labour market. Estimates of the long-run ‘child penalty’, i.e. the impact of having children on women’s relative to men’s earnings, are large and vary substantially across countries. Neither the existence of child penalties nor the striking cross-country variation in child penalties is well understood. BELIEFS will collect a representative dataset of 80,000 individuals in the 28 EU Member States to study the role of several factors in explaining the cross-country differences in child penalties. It will examine the role of (i) beliefs about the benefits/costs to fertility and labour supply decisions, (ii) preferences for having children and for work/leisure, (iii) constraints, and (iv) social norms. BELIEFS will explore different dimensions of heterogeneity and study the individual-level (gender, age etc.) and country-level (labour regulations, family policies etc.) determinants of these factors. It will study whether there are misperceptions of norms and identify whether informing individuals of prevalent social norms shifts their beliefs about the benefits/costs to men/women working and their support for public policies. BELIEFS examines educational, fertility and labour supply decisions in a dynamic life-cycle framework and explores the role of beliefs, preferences, constraints and norms in those decisions. The dynamic framework will also be used to study the role of perceived child penalties in explaining fertility and educational choices. The project is highly ambitious in its scope and it is highly innovative in its combination of research methods. Ultimately, this research agenda will shed light on what drives gender gaps in labour market outcomes as well as which policies may be effective in narrowing these gaps.
Summary
There are large differences in earnings between men and women. Recent work highlights the importance of parenthood for the existence of gender inequality in the labour market. Estimates of the long-run ‘child penalty’, i.e. the impact of having children on women’s relative to men’s earnings, are large and vary substantially across countries. Neither the existence of child penalties nor the striking cross-country variation in child penalties is well understood. BELIEFS will collect a representative dataset of 80,000 individuals in the 28 EU Member States to study the role of several factors in explaining the cross-country differences in child penalties. It will examine the role of (i) beliefs about the benefits/costs to fertility and labour supply decisions, (ii) preferences for having children and for work/leisure, (iii) constraints, and (iv) social norms. BELIEFS will explore different dimensions of heterogeneity and study the individual-level (gender, age etc.) and country-level (labour regulations, family policies etc.) determinants of these factors. It will study whether there are misperceptions of norms and identify whether informing individuals of prevalent social norms shifts their beliefs about the benefits/costs to men/women working and their support for public policies. BELIEFS examines educational, fertility and labour supply decisions in a dynamic life-cycle framework and explores the role of beliefs, preferences, constraints and norms in those decisions. The dynamic framework will also be used to study the role of perceived child penalties in explaining fertility and educational choices. The project is highly ambitious in its scope and it is highly innovative in its combination of research methods. Ultimately, this research agenda will shed light on what drives gender gaps in labour market outcomes as well as which policies may be effective in narrowing these gaps.
Max ERC Funding
1 496 957 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-01-01, End date: 2025-12-31
