On 26 October 2022 Professor Vincent Anesi gave his inaugural lecture, entitled “From Political Economy to Principal Agent Theory” to a diverse group of colleagues and students at the FDEF. After a welcome from FDEF Dean, Professor Katalin Ligeti and a brief introduction to his field of study, political economy, Prof. Anesi spoke about early stage research he is is conducting with Harvard Political Scientist Peter Buisseret which takes the first steps toward developing a theory of collective principals in a dynamic agency framework.
Vincent Anesi joined the University of Luxembourg, as Full Professor within the Department of Economics and Management in September 2020. In his last role, he was a Professor of Economics at the University of Nottingham, where he also acted as a Deputy Director of Research, and Head of Recruitment. He received his PhD from the Toulouse School of Economics in 2006. His research focuses on the impact of institutions on economic policy and performance, with a focus on how they work, how they could be designed better, and how they influence economic outcomes.
His work has been published in international academic journals such as the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, the Economic Journal, Games and Economic Behavior, the Journal of Public Economics, the Review of Economic Studies, and Theoretical Economics.
To get to know Prof. Anesi and his work a little better, we asked him a few questions, and summed up his answers in this short interview.
Can you sum up your educational and professional background?
I received my PhD from the Toulouse School of Economics in 2006, where I had had the privilege to be taught by some of the very best economists in the world, including the Nobel Prize winner Jean Tirole. I was then immediately offered a permanent position at the University Nottingham, where I became a Full Professor in less than ten years, and also acted as a Deputy Director of Research and Head of Recruitment. In September 2020, I joined the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Luxembourg, as a Professor of Applied Economics. I am also a member of the Executive Committee of POLECONUK, a large consortium of Economics and Political-Science departments in the United Kingdom.
Prof. Anesi answers a question from Prof. Gautam Tripathi
How would you explain your research to someone that knows absolutely nothing about it?
I have been developing theoretical models of political institutions, such as governments and international organizations, to understand how they work, how they could be designed better, and how they influence economic policy making. While standard economics models have largely focused on market mechanisms, my own focus has been on political mechanisms, especially how they impact dynamic linkages between present and future policy decisions.
Prof. Anesi gives his inaugural lecture to colleagues and students from all FDEF departments
What has been your most memorable career moment so far?
This has to be when, still a young researcher, I learnt for the first time that my work was taught to graduate students in top US universities. Coming very close, I recently discovered that a new section in the latest edition of S. Gehlbach’s classic textbook (https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108674720) on formal politics treats my model of legislative policy making. Having myself learnt so much from that textbook as a graduate student, it is an immense privilege to have my work now recognised and taught to future generations of economists and political scientists.