The members of the Jean Monnet EUFIREG Module participated in the latest edition of the European Researchers’ Night, organized by the University of Cantabria, with the activity “Public Policies under the Magnifying Glass of Economists”.
In this activity, which took place in the centre of the city of Santander (Plaza Porticada), EUFIREG researchers explained to the public how economists can evaluate policies using a method that combines empirical interest and easy understanding: vignette-based experiments. The vignette-based experiments consist of short texts that describe a hypothetical situation. Each participant receives several texts, with slight variations among them in some questions of interest. Then, participants have to answer several questions, and economists analyze how these variations affect the answers. The researchers briefly explained this method and proposed several simple experiments of this type, building on those they are conducting as part of the European TOKEN project (H2020) and the Jean Monnet EUFIREG Module.
The European Researchers’ Night is a European scientific dissemination event, which takes place simultaneously in more than 300 cities in 27 countries. It is endorsed by the European Commission, as part of the Marie Curie Actions. Its objective is to bring science and the work of researchers closer to society, publicizing scientific work and the benefits it brings to society, in a relaxed environment that favors interaction and direct contact between the public and the researchers.
The European Researchers’ Night 2021 was held on the evening of Friday, September 24. In it, research staff from the University of Cantabria gave science workshops, talks, interactive scientific demonstrations, participatory experiments, guided visits or recreational activities, adapted for people of all ages interested in knowing the impact of scientific developments in everyday life.