CESifo Cluster “Economic Research with Firm Data”
Data is the new oil. But unlike oil, many companies have traditionally preferred keeping it in-house to hone their products and strategy. In recent years, however, firms have decided to open their data up to academic researchers to study questions of social and public interest. CESifo promptly created a new research cluster to seek answers to novel economic research questions.
Firm data, in particular big data, provides tremendous opportunities for analyzing individual and firm behavior. Examples range from consumer behavior, social networks, mobility, and location decisions to finance, HR, and forecasting. The new CESifo Cluster “Economic Research with Firm Data” strives to connect researchers working with big data from firms and share best practices on research and collaborations with firms. The cluster serves both as an outlet for top-class research using firm data and as a forum for exchanging more practical considerations on collaborations with firms and on innovative methods. Depending on the topic, the cluster cooperates closely with the ifo Institute, LMU Munich, the other CESifo areas, and our network members, aiming to establish Munich as a leading location for economic research with firm data.
Cluster Directors
Theresa Kuchler is an Associate Professor of Finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business. She earned a Ph.D. in Economics at Stanford University. Prior to attending Stanford, she received a diploma in Business Economics from the University of Mannheim and spent a year as a Fulbright visiting student in the Economics department at UC Berkeley. Her research interests lie in how consumers and firms make decisions in financial and related matters, incorporating insights from behavioral economics. She has extensive experience in using firm data in economic research, including social network, online marketplace, and credit card data.
Johannes Stroebel is the David S. Loeb Professor of Finance and the Boxer Faculty Fellow at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He joined NYU from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he was the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Economics, and he obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. He conducts research in climate finance, household finance, social network analysis, macroeconomics, and real estate economics, widely using firm data, such as social network, credit card, or investor data. He is an Associate Editor at the Journal of Political Economy, the Review of Economic Studies, Econometrica, and the Journal of Finance. He has won numerous awards, such as the AQR Asset Management Institute Young Researcher Prize.
A Strong Partner Network
The cluster is integrated into a strong partner network, both internationally and in Munich, and closely collaborates with the ifo Institute and LMU Munich, in particular with Big Data Economics at ifo and the EBDC.
