Can Fair Decisions Be Calculated?
Political decisions often create winners and losers. As research by economist Maya Eden shows, predictable and transparent criteria can help minimize unfairness.
Economics and Informatics
Article list Economics and Informatics
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Tailored Development Aid
Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee are fighting poverty with rigorous experiments and concrete policies. An interview with the Nobel-winning economists. -
Rebalancing the Tax Burden
There’s no easy way to achieve fair taxation. It takes a bundle of pragmatic measures to close loopholes, minimize false incentives, and tax work and capital evenly. -
Brain Activity Reveals How Well We Mentally Size Up Others
Humans often adapt their behavior to that of other people with lightning speed. A new study shows which brain networks control this social adaptation. -
A Level Playing Field for All
A meritocratic system only works if everyone gets a fair start. Economists Ernst Fehr and Steven Ongena explain how education, a health and social security system and taxation help. -
Legal Drinking Age Impacts Learning and Mental Health
A UZH study shows that raising the minimum legal drinking age significantly reduces teenage alcohol consumption. As a beneficial side effect, this has led to better academic performance and mental health. -
Nine Research Groups Win ERC Funding
Amid the toughest competition to date, UZH researchers emerged remarkably strong, winning major support for ambitious projects across disciplines. -
Trump’s Wrecking Ball
The Trump administration wants to strengthen the US economy and bring back manufacturing jobs. In reality, it often pursues the opposite of what makes an economy strong and resilient – an analysis. -
Nobel Laureates Duflo and Banerjee to Join UZH
The Nobel Prize-winning economists Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will establish a new center for development economics, education and public policy using external funds provided by the Lemann Foundation. -
Off Balance
Uncertainty can weigh us down, but it can also serve as an opportunity to learn new things, say sinologist Polina Lukicheva and economist Philippe Tobler. -
A Faster Path to Tailor-Made Voting Advice
An algorithm developed by computer scientists at UZH aims to enhance the quality of voting advice provided on the Smartvote online platform. -
“The trade war is a serious test”
Economist Ralph Ossa served as Chief Economist of the WTO in Geneva for two and a half years. Since early July, he has been back at the University of Zurich. -
Visit UZH in Japan, virtually
At the Virtual World Expo 2025, visitors will have the opportunity to visit the city campus of the University of Zurich. The virtual experience was developed by the UZH Blockchain Center. -
Your Best Friend’s Personality Can Shape Your Own
Students become more conscientious, open, and competitive when they spend time with friends who also exhibit these traits, according to the first study on how students’ personalities are shaped by their peers. -
More Sustainability, Less Moral Preaching
If Switzerland and the EU want to become carbon-neutral by 2050, they need to overcome ideological rifts in business, politics and society. -
“Europeans must have confidence in the future”
To be able to play up its economic strengths against China and the US, Europe should aim to eliminate barriers in its internal market and not try to regulate everything down to the smallest detail. -
New Spin-Offs with Innovative Technology
Detecting prostate cancer at an early stage, keeping transplantation organs viable for longer, or a lab that fits on a chip: these six spin-offs from UZH are bringing research ideas to the market. -
Rising Wages Drive Innovation in Automation Technology
A new UZH study shows for the first time that higher minimum wages for low-skill jobs drive firms to develop automation technologies. Rising wages for high-skill labor, in contrast, can hamper this effect. -
“Whoever controls Artificial General Intelligence, controls the world”
Artificial intelligence has been reshaping nearly every sector of the economy. In a lecture at UZH, Nobel laureate Daron Acemoğlu emphasized the need for proper regulation to reap the benefits of AI. -
More Maize for Farmers in Africa
As part of their Master’s project, three informatics students developed a software solution that could help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce their crop losses. In recognition of this, they received a UZH semester award.