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
Bridge Workshop with Trudie Schils
The 1️st BRIDGE - Horizon Europe Project Workshop was organised by MILE (Trudie Schils) and ROA , bringing together BRIDGE researchers to present and discuss both early-stage ideas and advanced drafts. This internal event fostered cross-country dialogue and collaboration on improving educational transitions and student outcomes.
Throughout the day, they discussed timely topics such as: Educational selection mechanisms, Academic preferences, Early school leaving, International student mobility, The impact of COVID-19, Skills mismatches and transitions to work.
Meeting with Suvra Chakraborty and Karsten Mau
On November 24th, Tania Treibich, Fabiana Visentin, and Karsten Mau had the pleasure of hosting Suvra Chakraborty for lunch. As a long-standing supporter and advisory board member of our BSc and MSc Emerging Markets programs at Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, Suvra brought invaluable insights to our conversation about strengthening the core pillars and shaping the future of our programs.
In the afternoon, Suvra was joined for a coffee moment by selected BSc and MSc students from our Emerging Markets programs. He shared his experiences from working as an entrepreneur and trader in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and as an advisor to both small start-ups and prestigious international organizations around the world.
Lecture by Prof. dr. Olaf Sleijpen
In addition to his duties as president of De Nederlandsche Bank, Prof. Sleijpen still gives guest lectures to our students. The lecture took place Wednesday 3 December 2025 and involved students from bachelor to the PhD levels.
He mentioned that “The interaction with the young, bright students helps me think and formulate more clearly about monetary policy and financial stability. The contact with students challenges me to articulate complex topics clearly and it energizes me. Despite my busy schedule in Amsterdam, I find it important to maintain this connection with students in Maastricht. It's always inspiring to share knowledge and gain new insights.”
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.
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.
