Workshop on AI and New Methods in Macroeconomics and Trade 2025
Organized by Prof. Yucheng Yang (UZH) and Prof. Xiaodong Zhu (HKU)
The Workshop on AI and New Methods in Macroeconomics and Trade is organized by Prof. Yucheng Yang from the Department of Finance and Prof. Xiaodong Zhu from the Hong Kong Business School.
The event was held at the University of Zurich and brought together leading researchers applying cutting-edge computational and AI-based tools to address pressing economic challenges. Presentations illustrated how methods such as deep learning, combinatorial optimization, and large language models are reshaping the frontier of macroeconomic research. Topics included the design of tariff policies in the context of geopolitical tensions, the macroeconomic impact of sanctions, and monetary policy transmission under the zero lower bound. Other contributions examined the welfare effects of bankruptcy regulation, the macroeconomic implications of unemployment insurance extensions, and the use of machine learning to compute constrained optimal carbon tax rules. The program featured novel approaches to analyzing state-dependent risk premium dynamics and the economic consequences of technology wars.
The workshop underscored the promise of modern AI methods in advancing our understanding of complex questions in macroeconomics and international trade.
Program
Date: Saturday, 12 April 2025
Time: 08:45 - 18:30
Location: University of Zurich, Department of Finance
| 08:45 | Arrival and Registration |
| 09:00 | Chair: Prof. Yucheng Yang (UZH)
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| 09:50 |
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| 10:40 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 |
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| 11:50 | Leonardo Melosi (Warwick): Estimating Nonlinear Heterogeneous Agent Models with Neural Networks |
12:40 |
Lunch and Group Photo |
| 14:10 | Chair: Prof. Xiaodong Zhu (HKU)
|
15:00 |
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15:50 |
Coffee Break
|
16:10 |
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17:00 |
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18:30 |
Conference Dinner (by invitation) |
Sponsors
The workshop will be sponsored by the Hong Kong Business School (HKU), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the University of Zurich (UZH).
