Three researchers of Erasmus School of Economics have obtained a NWO Open Competition SSH-XS grant. Stefan Obernberger, Carlos Riumallo Herl and Esad Smajlbegovic receive this grant with a maximum budget of 50,000 euro to enable their proposal for curiosity-driven, fundamental research in the research fields covered by the NWO Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).
Dean of Erasmus School of Economics Patrick Groenen about this impressive accomplishment: "I am proud of this wonderful achievement of Stefan, Carlos and Esad. With a constantly changing world, the awarded projects cover important current topics about mental health in relation to the house affordability crisis, employee health and financial risks, and payment choices of the future. I am looking forward to the interesting results these projects will produce."
About the NWO Open Competition SSH-XS grants
In 2022, the NWO (Dutch Research Council) launched a new format for the NWO Open Competition SSH call. In this format the SSH-XS pilot Call for proposals is specifically intended to encourage curiosity-driven and bold research that involves the relatively rapid exploration of a promising idea. The research projects will be ground-breaking and are high risk-high gain. Most important is that the result of each project contributes to the advancement of science.
About the recipients and their research
Stefan Obernberger
Stefan Obernberger is Associate Professor of Finance at Erasmus School of Economics. In his research, Stefan is interested in how corporate finance shapes the organisation of the firm and its human capital.
His NWO SSH-XS research project will explore the two-way relationship between corporate risk-taking, the willingness to take on financial risk and to invest in innovative projects, and employee health.
Carlos Riumallo Herl
Carlos Riumallo Herl is Assistant Professor of Applied Economics at Erasmus School of Economics. His research focuses on exploring the impact of policies on health mainly in low and middle-income countries. His work explores the links between health and labour force participation, and the role of prevention for healthy ageing.
Carlos’ NWO SSH-XS research project investigates the consequences of the housing affordability crisis on mental health at a population level. The project will estimate the effect of reduced affordability on mental health using Dutch administrative records and exploring heterogeneity across age groups, socioeconomic status, and ownership status.
This study will contribute to current policy making by identifying potential mechanisms that can help individuals cope with the mental health consequences of increasing housing costs.
Esad Smajlbegovic
Esad Smajlbegovic is Associate Professor of Finance at Erasmus School of Economics and a regular visiting researcher at the Deutsche Bundesbank. His main research interests lie in empirical asset pricing with an emphasis on how the behavior of different investor clienteles and their interaction in the market affects asset returns.
Esad’s NWO SSH-XS research project studies whether payment type has a causal effect on consumption spending. The empirical tests rely on explosive attacks on 1,863 automated teller machines (ATMs), which introduce a plausibly exogenous change in cash availability for affected households. The findings have important societal implications for the future of money.
- More information
For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media and Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, +31 6 53 641 846.