ISET Launches a Three-Year Exchange Program with the University Of Lausanne

In early February 2016, ISET opened its doors to a group of 7 economics students and faculty from one of Europe’s top schools of business and economics, HEC at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
During their two-week stay at ISET, members of the Swiss delegation attended a course in Mechanism Design, taught by ISET’s senior academic advisor, Professor Motty Perry (University of Warwick). Additionally, they took part in a research workshop, to present and discuss their own research, as well as that of ISET faculty and students. The workshop involved senior scholars from Israel, Switzerland and the UK.

The visit included a cultural program to introduce Swiss guests to Georgia’s spectacular food, culture and historic sites, such as the ancient capital Mtskheta, the famous Jvari Monastery, the Stalin Museum in Gori, and the nearby rock-hewn town of Uplistsikhe. A highlight of the program was a visit to Chateau Mukhrani, a unique French-style winery and museum, dating back to the second half of the 19th century. On the last day, the whole group and their ISET hosts – students, ISET-PI staff and faculty – were hosted for a special reception at the residence of the Swiss ambassador Lukas Beglinger.

This visit was the first in a series of exchanges to be implemented over the next three years with the financial support of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The first group of ISET students is scheduled to visit Switzerland in June 2016. ISET’s president Eric Livny and board member Jean-Frederic Paulsen met with the leadership of HEC Lausanne in early March 2016 to discuss opportunities to deepen ISET’s cooperation with Swiss partners. One opportunity is to establish at ISET a development laboratory to house field and lab experiments in economic behavior.

Swiss Students about Breathing Georgian Air for Two Weeks

We really liked Prof. Perry’s lecturing approach. While getting into detailed applications of mechanism design – a highly specialized topic – professor Motty always provided the underlying basic intuitions and motivations behind the models.
After the lectures it was easy to get integrated in the cozy atmosphere at ISET. Administrative staff supported us in any way they could, both in academic matters and otherwise. Moreover, we found reliable friends in the local students, who helped us to get around in the city and Georgian culture.
During our stay, we also managed to do a bit of travel and experience other aspects of this awesome country. We rented a jeep and drove to the Black Sea, stopping in small villages and interesting cities. The highlights of our visit to Georgia were: food, wine, music, amazing landscapes, isolated monasteries and, of course, welcoming people.