Department of Macro, International and Labour Economics (MILE)
MILE – Policy-Relevant Economics
At MILE, we explore the economic issues that matter for policy today. Our research spans labour markets and education, international trade, macroeconomics, and more, from inequality dynamics, technology and economic growth, resilience and climate change, to expectations, in Emerging Markets and in Europe, reflecting the diversity of expertise in our department.
What connects us is a common goal: to understand and improve the design of economic policies that shape people’s lives, from the local to the global level.
Policy-relevant economics also guides our teaching, ensuring that our courses equip students to analyse and engage with real-world policy challenges.”
About us
Fields: Macroeconomics, Labour Economics, International Economics, Education Economics
Department head: Bart Golsteyn
Secretaries: Silvana de Sanctis, Marion Muitjens
Management: Mike Simon
Contact
Secretarial office MILE:
Room A0.03
Phone: +31 43 38-83620
Mailing address:
Department of Economics
P.O.Box 616
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
In the spotlight
Joan Muysken Lecture by Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer
Joan Muysken Lecture by Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer
When: Monday 24 November 2025, 20:00
Where: Aula MBB (Minderbroedersberg 4-6, Maastricht)
Time: 20.00
Title: Homo Heuristicus: Decision Making in an Uncertain World
If you would like to join please register here for free:
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/events/homo-heuristicus-decision-making-uncertain-world
This lecture is organised by the School of Business and Economics (SBE) and Studium Generale. The Joan Muysken Lecture has been named after Joan Muysken, SBE’s first professor of macroeconomics (1984-2014), who was the founding father of the department of economics at SBE.
Julian Ashwin wins Veni grant
See below the research which Julian will undertake in the next three years:
Title: The macroeconomics of healthy longevity in ageing societies
People are living longer and societies are ageing. This has led to economic pessimism, based on the assumption that we can’t change how we age. Using individual health and economic microdata, this project identifies the changing relationships between age, health and economic outcomes.
The NWO Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) is worth up to €320,000. It is an incentive for adventurous, talented and pioneering researchers to further develop their own research ideas over the next three years.
Mark Sanders and Tania Treibich react to the Nobel Prize in Economics
This year’s Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their ground-breaking work on innovation-driven economic growth, a theme deeply rooted in SBE’s academic foundation in innovation and growth.
Mark Sanders and Tania Treibich, together with Luc Soete, and Bart Verspagen from UNU-Merit, shared their thoughts on the laureates’ contributions, exploring the enduring influence of Schumpeterian ideas on how we understand progress, competition, and technological change.
👉Read their insights
Steffen Kuenn and Michail Moatsos at the Weekend of Science
On Saturday 4th of October, Steffen Kuenn and Michail Moatsos represented MILE at the Weekend van de Wetenschap (weekend of science) in Tapijn. They gave children and their families the chance to explore science hands-on, spark their imagination, and discover the research they do.
🍎 Learning about food affordability with Michail Moatsos
🌬️ Discovering how air quality affects school results with Steffen Künn and Juan Francisco Palacios
Karsten Mau awarded an Open Competition XS grant
Measuring Cross-Border Supply Chains and the External Economic Dependence of the Netherlands
Recent global disruptions have underscored the vulnerabilities of fragmented international supply chains. Dr. Mau’s project addresses a critical knowledge gap: what specific goods are traded across borders, and for what purposes? The findings will provide valuable insights into the Netherlands' economic dependencies and inform strategies to manage external risk exposure while maintaining the benefits of global trade integration.
The NWO SGW Open Competition XS grants, valued at €50,000, support early-stage, high-potential social sciences and humanities projects.
Prof. Dr. Olaf Sleijpen new president of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)
Prof. Dr. Olaf Sleijpen will be the new president of DNB as of July 1 2025
Prof. Dr. Olaf Sleijpen is part-time professor of European Economic Policy at the School of Business and Economics of Maastricht University. As of July 1, 2025, he will be the new president of De Nederlandsche Bank.
Olaf Sleijpen studied economics at Maastricht University and obtained his PhD from the University of Groningen. Since 2007, he has been a part-time professor of European Economic Policy at Maastricht University at the School of Business and Economics in the MILE department.
