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Jan Švejnar: The Sky Is the Limit

5 November, 2021

CERGE-EI celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. What was the main need or impulse that led to the founding of the postgraduate economic education institute in the Czech Republic? What were the main challenges? How has the institute changed in the three decades of its existence? CERGE-EI co-founder Jan Švejnar looks back in a vlog.

When asked about what motivated the first students to join the then newly established institute, Jan Švejnar answered: "We promised them the sky. We said the sky is the limit. You're going to get exactly the same kind of education that you would get at a leading American institute. In fact, the professors we hired came from leading American institutes. We had professors from Cornell, from the University of Michigan, from Tilburg, Netherlands, so they were taught by the same people who would have taught them if they had enrolled at one of those schools. Nonetheless, it was an uphill struggle."

Watch the full interview:

Read more about CERGE-EI's history, achievements, and wishes on its 30th anniversary website.