On 16 and 17 December 2024, BETA (Bureau d’Économie Théorique et Appliquée) welcomed Germà Bel, professor of applied economics at the Universitat de Barcelona and director of the Governance and Markets (GiM) research group.
During his visit, Germà Bel presented his paper entitled ‘Does it take more than one village? The effect of inter-municipal cooperation on waste separation’, co-authored with Joël Bühler (UB School of Economics). The seminar, which took place on Monday 16 December from 11am to 12.30pm at the Maison de la Recherche, gave rise to a wide-ranging discussion. Discussions focused on the dynamics of inter-municipal cooperation and their concrete effects on the quality of waste management. The relevance of this work to local public policy was particularly emphasised.
In addition to the seminar, Germà Bel took the opportunity to meet many of the laboratory’s doctoral and post-doctoral students, who were keen to discuss issues with him. These discussions provided an opportunity to address current issues relating to public policy, infrastructure and public services. In-depth discussions also took place with BETA researchers, who presented their current projects and shared their research perspectives.
The visit laid the foundations for promising future collaborations. In particular, a joint seminar between the RENEL Chair and the GiM research group at the University of Barcelona is already in preparation. This seminar will be held in Barcelona in February and will strengthen the academic links between the two institutions.
In addition, plans for co-supervised theses have been discussed, paving the way for more structural cooperation. Several ideas for joint articles emerged from the discussions, particularly on the subjects of public service management and territorial governance.
The organisation of this visit, initiated by Alexandre Mayol, HDR lecturer at BETA and director of the RENEL chair, is an important step in the international opening of the laboratory and foreshadows excellent future cooperation between Nancy and Barcelona.
