Seminars and awards
Yrjö Jahnsson Lectures
In 1963 the Foundation launched the Yrjö Jahnsson Lectures. The first lecture was given by Kenneth J. Arrow. These lectures are organized every few years. So far there have been 22 lectures, given by top international researchers in economics. Eleven of these researchers have since been awarded the Nobel Prize. Daron Acemoglu won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2024. He was the Yrjö Jahnsson Lecturer in 2019.
In 2023, the lecture was given by Professor Janet Currie.
All the Yrjö Jahnsson Lectures
2023
Janet Currie
“Child Health as Human Capital and the Environment and Children’s Health”
2019
Daron Acemoglu
“The Future of Work”
2015
Nicholas Bloom, John van Reenen
“Management and the Wealth of Nations”
2012
John A. List
“Field Experiments in Economics”
2010
Tim Besley, Torsten Persson
“Pillars of Prosperity: The Political Economics of State Building”
2007
Peter Diamond
“Thinking about Taxes”
2005
Ricardo Caballero
“Macroeconomics and Restructuring in the Global Economy”
2002
Alvin Roth
“The Timing of Transactions: Strategic Behavior, and Market Performance”
1999
Hans-Werner Sinn
“The New Systems Competition”
1996
Paul R. Krugman
“Economic Theory and the East Asia Miracle”
1992
Bengt Holmström
“Models of the Firm”
1990
A.B. Atkinson
“Poverty in Europe”
1987
Amartya Sen
“Rational Behaviour”
1985
Robert E. Lucas
“Models of Business Cycles”
1983
Jacques H. Drèze
“Labour Management, Contracts and Capital Markets”
1980
János Kornai
“Growth, Shortage and Efficiency”
1978
James Tobin
“Asset Accumulation and Economic Activity”
1976
Edmond Malinvaud
“The Theory of Unemployment Reconsidered”
1973
John Hicks
“The Crisis in Keynesian Economics”
1970
Harry G. Johnson
“The Two-Sector Model of General Equilibrium”
1968
L.R. Klein
“An Essay on the Theory of Economic Prediction”
1967
Assar Lindbeck
“Monetary-Fiscal Analysis and General Equilibrium”
1963
Kenneth J. Arrow
“Aspects of the Theory of Risk-Bearing”
Yrjö Jahnsson Award in Economics
In 1993, the Board of the Foundation established together with the European Economic Association (EEA) the Yrjö Jahnsson Award in Economics. It is awarded to young European economists who have made a significant contribution to theoretical and applied research in terms of the study of economics in Europe. The first recipients were announced at the 1993 Helsinki Congress and the Prize was awarded to Jean-Jacques Laffont and Jean Tirole.
In 2023, The Prize was awarded to Jan De Loecker and Kalina Manova.
All the Yrjö Jahnsson Award in Economics winners
2023
Jan De Loecker (KU Leuven) for his contributions to industrial organization, especially on the estimation of firm productivity and market power and Kalina Manova (University College London) for her contributions to international economics, especially on the impact of financial market imperfections on international trade flows.
Selection committee: Manuel Arellano (Chair), Zvi Eckstein, Ari Hyytinen, Margaret Meyer and Gianmarco Ottaviano
2021
Ricardo Reis (London School of Economics) and Silvana Tenreyro (London School of Economics) for their contributions to macroeconomics, especially on monetary economics, inequality and macroeconomic outcomes, fiscal policy and automatic stabilizers, and currency unions.
Selection committee: Orazio Attanasio (Chairman), Philippe Aghion, Oriana Bandiera, Morten Ravn, Hannu Vartiainen and Jaume Ventura.
2019
Oriana Bandiera (London School of Economics) and Imran Rasul (University College of London) for their contributions to economics, especially to the fields of personnel economics and development.
Selection committee: Kjetil Storesletten (Chairman), Orazio Attanasio, Armin Falk, Eliana La Ferrara and Hannu Vartiainen.
2017
Ran Spiegler (Tel Aviv University) for his contributions to economic theory and bounded rationality and Michele Tertilt (University of Mannheim) for her contributions to family economics and household finance.
Selection committee: Mark Armstrong (Co-Chair), Armin Falk, Hélène Rey (Co-Chair), Kjetil Storesletten and Hannu Vartiainen.
2015
Botond Köszegi (Central European University) for his contribution to the theoretical foundations of behavioral economics, and its application to public finance and contract theory.
Selection Committee: Fabrizio Zilibotti (Chairman), Mark Armstrong, Tim Besley, Helene Rey and Juuso Välimäki.
2013
Helene Rey (London Business School) for her original contributions to international finance, especially the determination of exchange rates and international capital flows and Thomas Piketty (Paris School of Economics) for his original contributions to public economics, specifically the study of inequality and mobility.
Selection Committee: Timothy Besley (Chairman), Mathias Dewatripont, Rachel Griffith, Juuso Välimäki and Fabrizio Zilibotti.
2011
Armin Falk (University of Bonn) for his contributions to the analysis of social preferences, in particular preferences for reciprocal fairness, and their impact on principal-agent relations, collective action and the functioning of labor markets.
Selection Committee: Ernst Fehr (Chairman), Manuel Arellano, Mathias Dewatripont, Rachel Griffith and Seppo Honkapohja.
2009
John Van Reenen (London School of Economics) and Fabrizio Zilibotti (University of Zürich) for their important contributions to the analysis of technological innovation and its link with economic growth and labor market phenomena.
Selection Committee: Guido Tabellini (Chairman), Manuel Arellano, Ernst Fehr, Seppo Honkapohja and Guy Laroque.
2007
Gilles Saint-Paul (Université des Sciences Sociales de Toulouse) for his innovative research on labour markets and political economy.
Selection Committee: Guido Tabellini (Chairman), Seppo Honkapohja, Marco Pagano, Elhanan Helpman and Guy Laroque.
2005
Timothy Besley (London School of Economics) and Jordi Gali (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) for their landmark contributions in development economics, public economics, and political economy, and for the development of the ”New Keynesian” macroeconomics.
Selection Committee: Richard Blundell (Chairman), Elhanan Helpman, Salvador Barbera, Marco Pagano and Rune Stenbacka.
2003
Mathias Dewatripont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles) for his path-breaking contributions to both pure and applied contract theory, and organization economics.
Selection Committee: Kevin Roberts (Chairman), Richard Blundell, Birgit Grodal, Pierre Pestieau and Rune Stenbacka.
2001
Philippe Aghion (Harvard University and University College London) and Guido Tabellini (Universita Bocconi in Milan) for their contributions in political economics and macroeconomics as well as in corporate finance and industrial organisation.
Selection Committee: Pierre Pestieau (Chairman), Torsten Persson, Kevin Roberts, Rune Stenbacka and Jean Tirole.
1999
Nobuhiro Kiyotaki and John Moore (London School of Economics) for their path-breaking work on contracting and exchange.
Selection Committee: Martin Hellwig, Erkki Koskela, Torsten Persson, Richard Portes and Jean Tirole.
1997
Torsten Persson (University of Stockholm) for his contributions to the study of economic policy. He has been able to study the connection between political institutions and economic performance with respect to growth, distribution and the size of government.
Selection Committee: Martin Hellwig, Erkki Koskela, Stephen Nickell, Richard Portes and Agnar Sandmo.
1995
Richard Blundell, (University College London) for his pathbreaking contributions to consumption behaviour and microeconometrics.
1993
Jean-Jacques Laffont and Jean Tirole (University of Toulouse) for their innovative work in the application of economic theory to the analysis of incentives, especially in industrial economics.
Selection Committee: Jacques Drèze, Michael Bruno and Erkki Koskela.
Jaakko Honko Lectures
In 1997, the Foundation, together with the Helsinki School of Economics and the Helsinki School of Economics Foundation, launched the Jaakko Honko Lectures. Jaakko Honko was the Chairman of the Board of the Foundation as well as the Rector and Chancellor of the Helsinki School of Economics. The first lecture was given in November of 1998 by Horst Albach.
In 2023, the lecture was given by Kaisa Hietala.
All the Jaakko Honko Lectures
2023
Kaisa Hietala
“Kestävyyden evoluutio – viherpesusta bisneksen ytimeen”
2021
Björn Wahlroos
“Pandemia ja rakenneongelmat – Suomen haasteet uudessa maailmantaloudessa”
2019
Risto Siilasmaa
“Disruptiot ja muutosjohtaminen”
2017
Erkki Liikanen
“Rahoitusmarkkinat ja niiden sääntely kriisien jälkeen”
2015
Matti Alahuhta
“Johtajuus”
2012
Bengt Holmström
“Finanssikriisi – onko ratkaisuja?”
2009
Mikko Kosonen
“Strateginen johtaminen ja uusiutuminen Suomen vahvuutena?”
2007
Aatto Prihti
“Finnish affluent society 2020 – does it exist?”
2005
Seppo Honkapohja
“National Economic Success Factors: How is Europe Faring?”
2003
Vesa Vainio
“The most golden era of Finland – still in the future?”
2001
Sirkka Hämäläinen
“Is the new economy really new?”
1998
Horst Albach
“Corporate Governance”
International Medical Symposiums
Since 1978, the Foundation has organized international medical symposiums in Finland. The themes have been selected for both their medical significance and temporal relevance. The Yrjö Jahnsson Medical Symposium has now been held 20 times.
In 2022 symposium, Precision Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease, was organized together with Paavo Nurmi Foundation. Read more here.
All the Yrjö Jahnsson Medical Symposiums
2017
“Gene-environment Interactions in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases”
2014
“Chronic Inflammation, Environment and Lifestyle”
2010
“Life Course – From Pediatrics to Geriatrics”
2008
“Smoking and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – Mechanisms and Prevention”
2006
“Etiology and Prevention of Digestive Tract Cancers”
2004
“Psychosocial Support and Health”
2002
“Youth and Substance Use”
2000
“Quality of Life Measurement in Clinical Studies”
1998
“Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Childhood”
1996
“Indoor Air and Health – Causative Agents, Health Hazards, and Risk Assessment”
1994
“Peptic Ulcer and Gastritis – New Infectious Diseases”
1992
“Depression: Preventive and Risk Factors”
1990
“Prevention of Osteoporosis”
1988
“Current Trends in Low Back Pain Research”
1986
“Psychosocial Risk Factors of Diseases”
1984
“Measurement of Health – The Needs and Objectives for Measurement of Health Status”
1982
“Nutrition Research”
1980
“Aging and The Care of The Elderly”
1978
“The Objectives and Possibilities of Research on Disability”
International Conferences in Economics
The Foundation organizes international conferences and lectures. Since 1983, each decennial anniversary is celebrated by holding an international meeting of the top scientists in economics.
The Yrjö Jahnsson European Intergration Lectures were given between 1991 and 2001. The lectures were organized in cooperation with European universities and the European network of researchers; the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsforschung (ZEI), and CESifo. Conference locations included Helsinki, Brussels, Berlin, Bonn, and Munich.
All the Anniversary Conferences in Economics
2024
“Climate change and Inequality”
2014
“Inequality and Health”
2004
“Incentives and Finance of the Health Care System”
2004
“Economic Institutions and Behavioral Economics”
1994
“Suomen talouslama”
1983
“Frontiers of Economics”
All the European Economic Integration Lectures
2001
Jürgen von Hagen and Mika Widgrén
“Regionalism in Europe – Geometries and Strategies After 2000”
1996
Horst Albach, Pekka Ylä-Anttila, Mika Erkkilä, Juhani Lönnroth and Mika Widgrén
“Norderweiterung der Europäischen Union: Wirtschaftliche Aspekte / The Northern Enlargement of the European Union: Economic Aspects”
1995
Howard Rosenthal
“Incumbents and New Entrants in the Expansion of the United States”
1995
Clas Wihlborg
“Searching for the Gains from a Monetary Union”
1995
Mika Widgrén
“A Voting Power Analysis of Supranational and National Influence in the EU”
1995
Enrico Spolare
“Enlargement Dynamics in Political and Economic Unions”
1995
Manfred J.M. Neumann
“Monetary Union in the Absence of Political Union”
1995
Fritz Breuss
“Costs and Benefits of EU’s Eastern European Enlargement”
1995
Patrick Bolton & Gérard Roland
“The Break up of Nations: A Political Economy Analysis”
1992
Kari Jalas
“From Milan to Maastricht”
1992
Kari Alho
“Suomalainen integraatiotutkimus – arvio tuloksista ja tulevista suunnista”
1991
Horst Albach
“Challenges of European Integration to Research in Economics”
Finnish Science Award
The Finnish Science Award is awarded every other year to scientists who have made significant contributions to research in economics, health economics or medical science and have advanced the use of science in Finnish society.
All the Finnish Science Award winners
2024
Mika Gissler, Unto Häkkinen
2022
Pertti Haaparanta and Ritva Reinikka
2020
Jaana Suvisaari
2018
Pekka Ilmakunnas
2016
Jukka Pekkarinen and Pekka Sutela
2014
Bengt Holmström, Jaakko Kaprio
2008
Erkki Koskela, Matti Pohjola, Pentti Saikkonen
2004
Seppo Honkapohja, Pekka Puska
Kansantaloustieteen valtakunnallinen koulutusohjelma (KAVA)