Month: December 2025

On 25 November 2025, the Horizon Europe BRIDGE Black Sea project marked 4.5 years of collaboration and innovation, with our team from ReSEES, Research Laboratory at AUEB, Athens University of Economics and Business, participating in the event. Represented by Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB Principal Investigator) and Alice Guittard (ReSEES Researcher), our team joined 160 …

Advancing the Future of the Black Sea: Insights from the BRIDGE-BS Final Conference Read More »

The Closing Plenary of SBCA 2025 brought the Athens conference to a thoughtful and forward-looking conclusion. Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, Scientific Lead of SBCA 2025, opened the session with final reflections, thanking participants for their active engagement and emphasizing the central role of rigorous benefit–cost analysis in shaping effective, evidence-based public policy. Daniel Herrera, Vice …

SBCA – Closing Session Read More »

The final set of parallels focused on social and health programmes, non-monetary valuation and low-carbon mobility. Speakers presented work on climate adaptation and willingness to pay, elderly care and integrated social support, global meta-analyses of the value of statistical life, prioritisation by age and health, and benefit–cost analysis of electric vehicle charging, military emissions and …

Parallel Session VI Overview – Social Programmes, Non-Monetary Valuation and Low-Carbon Mobility Read More »

Midday sessions turned to policy-level applications of BCA, spanning intergenerational discounting, electric vehicle diffusion, and the capitalization of energy efficiency in housing markets. Further papers addressed urban recovery in Ukraine, innovative predictive approaches, multilateral development bank practice in water and sanitation, and the role of BCA in higher education and institutional development. Parallel Session on …

Parallel Session V Overview – Policy Solutions, Spatial Dynamics and Socio-Economic Development Read More »

Professor Anna Alberini (University of Maryland) delivered the second keynote address: “The Benefits and Costs of Energy Assistance and Special Energy Pricing Programs.” Drawing on extensive work in energy and environmental economics, she examined residential energy demand, targeted assistance schemes for vulnerable households, and the distributional and efficiency implications of special energy pricing programs, illustrating …

Keynote II – Energy assistance and special pricing programs Read More »

The Friday morning parallels combined behavioural and experimental insights with questions of ethics and digital transformation. Contributions covered how risk information affects environmental choices, valuation of personal data and environmental health, public preferences for cultural heritage, and advances in distributional weighting that better capture equity considerations in BCA. Day 2 opened with “Climate, Environment & …

Parallel Session IV Overview – Behavioural Insights, Ethics and Digital Innovation Read More »

In the late-afternoon sessions, participants examined net-zero enablers such as carbon taxation and low-carbon infrastructure, explored a hands-on tool for social cost–benefit analysis of urban nature-based solutions, and discussed applications of BCA in municipalities. Case studies ranged from Nordic climate pollutants and Greek climate city contracts to suicide barriers and retrospective regulatory evaluations. Chaired by …

Parallel Session III Overview – Net Zero Enablers, Urban Nature-Based Solutions and BCA in Cities Read More »

Professor Anastasios Xepapadeas (University of Bologna & Professor Emeritus, AUEB) delivered the first keynote lecture, “Cost–Benefit Analysis under Climate Change: Fat Tails and Extreme Events.” His talk addressed how fat-tailed risks, deep uncertainty, and extreme climatic events challenge conventional BCA frameworks. He explored approaches that incorporate tail risks, ambiguity, and robust control into economic evaluation …

Keynote I – Cost–Benefit Analysis under Climate Change Read More »

The second block of parallels focused on the economic valuation of pollution impacts, the challenges of assessing rare earth recycling and hydrogen valleys, and the broader socioeconomic consequences of energy transitions. Presentations illustrated how BCA can be used to evaluate innovative technologies, regulatory efficiency and the distributional outcomes of energy and climate policies. This paper …

Parallel Session II Overview – Pollution Valuation, Emerging Technologies and Energy Transitions Read More »

The 3rd Open-Air Cities International Conference: Local and Regional Sustainable Development & Urban Reconstruction, organized in collaboration with Harokopio University of Athens, was held from 5–7 December 2025. AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Αephoria participated in the conference. Maria Chourdaki represented the AE4RIA team, presenting the paper “The Adaptation Investment …

AE4RIA Presents the Adaptation Investment Cycle at the 3rd Open-Air Cities International Conference on Local and Regional Sustainable Development Read More »

The conference continued with the Parallel Session titled “The Social Costs and Benefits of Open Science.” Chaired by Gelsomina Catalano (CSIL), the roundtable examined key insights into the value, impact, and challenges associated with Open Science. The session featured: Silvia Vignetti (CSIL) presenting a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis framework for evaluating the social costs and benefits …

Parallel Session Ι Overview: The Social Costs and Benefits of Open Science Read More »

The 2025 European SBCA Conference is opened on 27 November at the Athens University of Economics and Business, setting the tone for two productive days ahead. Welcome by Professor Vassilis Vasdekis, Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business Opening Address by Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, Scientific Lead of SBCA 2025, Athens University of …

Highlights from the Opening of the 2025 European SBCA Conference Read More »