Between 22 and 26 August 2017 the 6th Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences took place in Lindau, near Lake Constance. It welcomed 17 Nobel Laureates and 350 young economists from well over sixty countries worldwide. Once more, the Lindau Council & Foundation created a week-long event in which excellent young scientists had the opportunity to not only learn from and interact with 17 of the greatest scientists in their field but also could network, exchange ideas and build new plans for research in their future with their peers. It is safe to say that the mission statement was fulfilled: to enable and support the exchange between scientists of different generations, cultures and the wide array of sub-disciplines that exist in the field of economics.
A week full of seminars, lectures and social functions, latter being much less leisure time than an opportunity to further discuss and develop ideas found its peak in the daylong trip on Saturday, 26 August 2017, on board the MS Sonnenkönigin to the island of Mainau.
On board, the participants had the chance to get in touch with the Laureate Meeting’s academic partners. Among them, the Global Young Academy, presented by our media officer Kirsten Geithner.
Discussions and questions posed about what the GYA does were countless. Any one of the young economists stopping by was certainly interested in the idea of an academy, operating interdisciplinary on a global level, and what it could do for them.
The meeting as well as its encounters once more showed that an integral part of being successful as a scientist is to make connections and use them, broaden one’s horizon by exchanging ideas with peers and those further along in their career likewise. Many, no matter whether from a developed or developing country, struggle with this as day-to-day life / work often leaves little chance for seeking out the proper channels in the first place.
During the stay on Mainau Island, even after a long week for the young economists, the spirit remained unbroken as the final discussion on “What could and should we do about inequality?”with James J. Heckman, Daniel L. McFadden, Sir Christopher A. Pissarides showed. What followed was the day’s science picnic within the picturesque surroundings of Mainau Island as another opportunity for the young economists, laureates as well as the guests to discuss, engage and network.
In the afternoon, president of the Lindau council Bettina Countess Bernadotte delivered the final farewell speech along with Laureate Jean Tirole. The words of all three carried and gave form to the spirit: the gratefulness for all the participants being so open, so willing to engage and share their knowledge. It was a young Australian-based economist, who spoke on behalf of the students, thanking the laureates for the heartfelt interest the seniors had shown towards the young scientists’ ideas during these eventful days of the Lindau Laureate Meeting. He ended with the words “Don’t be a stranger”, addressing the Laureates, students, guests and organisers likewise.
Connections had been made, even friendships formed. None of these participants would ever forget this meeting.
GYA is one of the Academic Partners of the Lindau Laureate Meetings and nominates participants for the annual meetings.