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Economist Osikominu

Photo:

Carmen Moosmann / University of Hohenheim

The Bonn Institute for the Future of Work (IZA) is drawing conclusions from the deep crisis that was triggered by the announced appointment of Armin Falk as head of the institute last fall.

The behavioral economist was completely exonerated in an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against a colleague - but the rude treatment of the affected researcher caused outrage in the institute's global research network.

more on the subject

  • #MeToo allegations: How a Bonn institute found itself at the center of a global economists' uprisingBy Benjamin Bidder

  • Reaction to protest letter: Armin Falk will not become head of the Institute for the Future of Work after all

This network is very important for the IZA.

It is the largest network of economists at a German institute and includes more than 2,000 researchers from labor and behavioral economics, including several Nobel Prize winners.

Almost 700 members threatened to leave in an open letter, and Falk withdrew.

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Economist Bandiera at the World Economic Forum 2011

Photo: picture alliance / Photoshot / dpa

The research institute is now revising its structures to deal with the #MeToo crisis.

According to SPIEGEL information, in the future a new, diverse advisory committee will coordinate the IZA's network work.

There are four women and two men from different generations and research focuses.

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Co-signatory of the open letter: Copenhagen inequality economist Daphné Skandalis

Photo: University of Copenhagen

These include the Hohenheim education and labor economist Aderonke Osikominu, who is already a member of the Association for Social Policy's working group responsible for the code of ethics and therefore has expertise in rules of conduct in the working environment.

In addition, the IZA has brought Copenhagen inequality researcher Daphné Skandalis, a signatory of the open letter, into the new committee.

The members of the network will be informed about the committee and its composition this Friday.

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Yale labor market researcher Joseph Altonji

Photo: Yale University

At IZA, great importance is attached to the fact that the coordinators are selected primarily based on their professional expertise.

“The new committee stands for scientific excellence and at the same time represents the diverse facets and perspectives of our global network,” said an IZA spokesman.

The Italian Oriana Bandiera from the London School of Economics received the Yrjö Jahnsson Award, considered a European Nobel Prize, for her research on labor markets in developing countries and advises the British government.

Skandalis is an advisor to the French government.

The Yale researcher Joseph Altonji is one of the best-known US labor economists;

The British happiness researcher Andrew Oswald becomes chairman of the committee.

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