UBS Center Newsletter | N°12, January 2019

2 Dear reader, A new year lies before us – like a blank book. We are looking forward to fill its pages with many inspiring events and share new research insights with you. This year’s first flagship event will take place on 11th of April and will focus on one of the famous two certain things: taxes. Oliver Wendell Holmes gets to the heart of this love-hate relationship: “I hate paying taxes. But I love the civilization they give me.” We promise you new views on this fascinating economic evergreen, and a heated debate, not least because of the political agenda in Switzerland. Another highlight is coming up in June with a public lecture by David Autor (MIT), one of the world’s leading labor economists, which will take place in Lugano. But before we start with the new book, let us leaf through the 2018 one. On the event side, we look back on another successful Forum for Eco- nomic Dialogue, bringing the link between culture and prosperity back to the center of attention. Leading experts from different fields reflected on how culture affects economic prosperity. Three weeks after the Forum, we dedicated ourselves to another topic of social relevance: equal oppor- tunities. UZH alumna Iris Bohnet (Harvard Kennedy School) presented research-based solutions out of her newest book and laid the groundwork for a stimulating and animated panel discussion following her keynote. On the publication side, we launched our Policy Brief series, featuring se- lected research insights in a condensed and policy-oriented format. Topics like automation and social unrest, culture and unemployment, and social skills and labor market requirements are only the beginning of this publi- cation series. Further, with Ernst Fehr’s paper on the behavioral founda- tions of corporate culture, we add another edition to our established Public Paper series and follow up on the key insights of the Forum. We look forward to seeing you in 2019! Ernst Fehr Joachim Voth Director Scientific Director