International Conference “The Optimal Skill Mix for a Modern Economy”

The joint conference of the Jacobs Foundation and the Swiss Leading House on the Economics of Education at the Universities of Zurich and Berne will take place on September 13-14, 2013, at the Jacobs Foundation's conference center at Marbach Castle (Lake Constance), Germany.

The current economic crisis with record high youth unemployment rates in many industrialized countries and the loss of competitiveness and market shares in high tech and manufacturing industries to developing countries questions the exclusive focus in many countries on general and academic education. This conference will address the question whether the education systems in the OECD countries are currently producing the right mix of skills for productive, competitive and inclusive economies?

Aim of the Conference

The aim of the conference is to facilitate the exchange of research ideas and results on the conference topic “The optimal skill mix for a modern economy” in a selective and small setting. We particularly encourage paper submissions (theoretical or empirical; single country studies or cross-country comparisons; micro or macro perspective) that address at least one of the following topics:

• Criteria to assess the optimal skill mix in an economy

• Strategies for firms to achieve and ensure an optimal skill mix given different production strategies

• Determinants and labor market outcomes of individual educational pathways including pathways with different types of education (vocational, general or academic education)

• Productivity effects of diverse workforces (diverse types of education at firm level, at regional level, or at national level)

• Complementarities between firms’ skill mix and their organizational features (HRM and innovation activities)

The keynote speakers will be:

• Hans Heijke (University of Maastricht)
• David Livingstone (University of Toronto, em. )
• Paul Osterman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstracts and papers must be submitted electronically to stefanie.hof@skbf-csre.ch. Submissions must include an abstract and, if possible, the complete paper in pdf format (one single file, including tables and figures). Preference will be given to submissions that include a complete paper.

The submission deadline is April 14, 2013. Acceptance decisions will be announced by May 1, 2013. Authors of accepted papers are expected to participate in the 2 day conference. Accommodation and travel costs from Zurich will be covered by the organizers. A limited number of travel grants is available upon request. No conference fees are charged.

Conference location: Marbach Castle

Submission deadline: April 14, 2013

Notification of acceptance: May 1, 2013

Conference date: September 13-14, 2013

Contact: For further information please contact stefanie.hof@skbf-csre.ch

Downloads

Extended Conference Programme (PDF, 83 KB)

Call for Papers (PDF, 67 KB)