Keynote speaker Prof. Michèle Tertilt (University of Mannheim) spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic impacted men and women. In contrast to more conventional recessions, the coronavirus pandemic is a “she-cession”, meaning the impact on women has been particularly challenging due to various industry developments and school closures. Ultimately, we will experience a long-term impact in regard to the gender pay gap. Prof. Tertilt also pointed out, however, that developments in telecommuting and social norm changes could counteract some of the elements of the “she-cession”.

Prof. Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, head of the new Kurt Rothschild School of Economics and Statistics, stated that the School aims to address pressing social issues by bringing disciplines in applied statistics and economics together with advance evidence-based research. The main subjects include epidemiology and public health, the future of work, and data science. In addition, the School will launch the Data Lab Linz to collaborate with various institutions and pool research with registry data.

Kurt Rothschild School of Economics and Statistics has been named after one of Austria’s most important economists of the post-war period and a former JKU Rector, Kurt W. Rothschild. The School aims to combine applied statistics with economics in an effort to respond to questions pertaining to economic and social policy.