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Jan Švejnar | |
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| Born | (1952-10-02)October 2, 1952 (age 73) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Economics |
Jan Švejnar (born October 2, 1952) is a United States-based, Czech-born economist. He was a candidate for the2008 election of thePresident of the Czech Republic.
Professor Švejnar is Richard N. Gardner Professor of Economics and International Affairs and Director of the Center on Global Economic Governance at Columbia University[1]. He is also a founder and chairman ofCERGE-EI in Prague (a joint workplace of theCharles University in Prague and Economics Institute of theAcademy of Sciences of the Czech Republic that offers an American-style Ph.D. program in economics that educates the new generation of economists forCentral-East Europe and the Newly Independent States). He also served as the chairman of the Supervisory Board ofČSOB Bank (until November 2007) and co-editor of theEconomics of Transition. Since 2007, he is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE). He is also a Fellow of theEuropean Economic Association and research fellow of theCentre for Economic Policy Research (London) and Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn).
Švejnar went into exile in 1970 and later on graduated fromCornell University with a B.S inindustrial and labor relations. At Cornell, Švejnar resided at theTelluride House.[2] He obtained a Ph.D. in economics atPrinceton University. His academic interests are in the areas of economic development and transition, labor economics and behavior of the firm. His research focuses on the determinants and effects of (a) government policies on firms and labor and capital markets, (b) corporate and national governance and performance, and (c) entrepreneurship. He is the author and editor of a number of books and has published in academic, policy and practitioner-oriented journals in advanced and emerging market economies, includingtheAmerican Economic Review,Econometrica, Economica,Economics of Transition, European Business Forum,European Economic Review,Journal of Comparative Economics,Journal of Development Economics, and many others.
In 2012, Švejnar was honored with a Neuron Prize for lifelong achievement from the Karel Janeček Endowment for Research and Science.
On December 14, 2007, he announced his candidacy for the position ofCzech president in the upcomingindirect presidential election. His nomination came from a proposal of 10 Senators (party affiliation –KDU-ČSL: 2,ČSSD: 3,SNK-ED: 1, independent: 4). In Parliament, his support was generally based on the Deputies and Senators elected for theCzech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) and theGreen Party.
On February 8, 2008, Švejnar facedVáclav Klaus, at that time the incumbent Czech president, in the first round of presidential election held within the two chambers of theCzech Parliament. In a second round on February 9, 2008, neither candidate gained the required majority of 140 votes in both chambers together.Václav Klaus received 139 and Jan Švejnar 113 votes out of 278 votes cast in both chambers together.
In a third round on February 15, Klaus was re-elected with 141 votes out of 279 lawmakers present, one more than the required minimum, while Švejnar received 111 votes.[3] Klaus' victory margin was supplied by 3MPs who were elected for the ČSSD.
Awarded by Czech Republic
