Michaël Aklin

Expertise Environmental policy and economics, energy policy and economics, sustainable development, public policy analysis, political economy PhD, New York UniversityMA, University of EssexLicence, Graduate Institute of International StudiesMichaël Aklin is Associate Professor of Economics and Management of Innovation at EPFL, which he joined in 2023 and where he holds the Chair of Policy & Sustainability. He is also co-managing director of Enterprise for Society (E4S), a center jointly founded by EPFL, IMD, and the University of Lausanne. Prior to joining EPFL, Michaël was Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his PhD at New York University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.Michaël studies the economics and politics of sustainable and steady development and the policies to achieve it. His work has been published in interdisciplinary outlets (Nature Energy, PNAS, Science Advances) as well as specialized journal in economics (Energy Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics), political science (American Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly), and public policy (Journal of Public Policy). He has also (co)written two books, both published by MIT Press. Teaching & PhD PhD Students Franziska Zollner, Anaëlle Touré, Jeanne Fernandez, Maxime Bataillard Courses Introduction to econometrics MGT-581 The course provides an introduction to econometrics for economics and financial applications. The objective is to learn how to make valid (i.e., causal) inference from economic and social data. Sustainability ENV-101 This course presents global sustainability issues. It introduces planetary boundaries, their systemic interconnections and social justice issues. The interdisciplinary approach introduces group work and systems thinking (interdependencies in a complex system). Technology, sustainability and public policy MGT-450 Technology is a driver of long-term growth but it can also undermine sustainable development. This course introduces microeconomic models of market and collective action failures, models of complex systems, as well as policy portfolios to address these issues.