Draft:Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics

The Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES) (German: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Volkswirtschaft und Statistik (SGVS); French: Société suisse d'économie et de statistique (SSES); Italian: Società svizzera di economia e di statistica (SSES)) is a a Swiss learned society for economics and statistics and an association comprising all Swiss universities with Faculties of Economics. The association, which is governed by Swiss law, is based in Zürich, and its secretariat has been significantly supported by the Swiss National Bank since 2001.

The primary goal of the SSES is to facilitate the advancement of economic research within Switzerland and to foster collaboration among researchers, both domestically and internationally. The society is particularly focused on supporting and promoting the success of early-career economists by providing them with opportunities to showcase their research findings to a scholarly audience.

The current president is Kurt Schmidheiny from the University of Basel. The society is a member of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The SSES publishes the Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (German: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Volkswirtschaft und Statistik), an open-access peer-reviewed academic journal.

In addition, the society organizes congresses and conferences.

History
The society was founded on July 19th, 1864 under the name Swiss Statistical Society (German: Schweizerische Statistische Gesellschaft, SSG). In 1937, it changed its name to Swiss Society of Statistics and Economics (German: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Statistik und Volkswirtschaft). In 2001, the name was slightly altered to Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (German: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Volkswirtschaft und Statistik).

The Swiss Statistical Society was established during a period of increasing global interest in the promotion of statistics. Its establishment was influenced by the formation of the Royal Statistical Society (London, 1834), the American Statistical Association (Boston,1839) and the Société de Statistique de Paris [ fr] (Paris, 1860). Early projects of the society included compiling comprehensive Swiss statistics, standardizing statistical practices, and ensuring uniformity in statistical reporting across different Swiss cantons. The society played a role in shaping official statistics by acting as a bridge between private statistical initiatives and governmental bodies.

The society significantly contributed to the development of Swiss social security and insurance mathematics by conducting essential surveys, advocating for state regulation, and providing expert input on legislative processes.

The society advocated for the application of statistical methods in various fields, including economics and public administration. In 1937, it expanded its activities to include economics and officially changed its name to Société suisse de Statistique et d'Economie politique (English: the Swiss Society of Statistics and Economics), reflecting the close relationship between statistical data and economic phenomena. The expansion of this second field progressively overshadowed statistics, leading to a situation where statisticians from public offices joined Schweizerische Vereinigung für Statistik (SVS) (English: Swiss Statistical Society (SSS)), an organization established in 1988 by academic statisticians.

The Swiss Society of Statistics and Economics published the "Zeitschrift für Schweizerische Statistik" (Journal of Swiss Statistics), which served as an important platform for disseminating statistical knowledge and research. This journal, originally focused on statistics produced by the society, evolved to include a broader range of topics and was later renamed the Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics to reflect the society's expanded focus.

Members
The list of members according to the Swiss Elite Database:
 * Johannes Stössel - president of the society in 1864-1913, editor-in-chief in 1864-1869 of the Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES) established by the society
 * Hermann Kinkelin - co-founder, president of the society in 1877-1886
 * Johann Jakob Kummer - member in 1874-1886, president in 1886-1913, editor-in-chief of the SJES in 1883—1886
 * Louis Guillaume - member in 1876-1891
 * Edmund Wilhelm Milliet - member in 1886-1913 and 1919-1932, president in 1913-1919, editor-in-chief of the SJES in 1887-(1912)
 * Adalbert Wirz - president in 1910
 * Fritz Mangold - member in 1913-1920, president in 1920-1925, editor-in-chief of the SJES in 1926-1939
 * Hans Schorer - member in 1913-1925, president in 1926
 * Carl Brüschweiler - member in 1919-1937, president in 1938-1941
 * William Emmanuel Rappard-Gautier - member in 1924-1926, president in 1927-1930
 * Max Weber - member in 1930-1935 and 1954-1960
 * Hugo Sieber - member in 1960-1965, president in 1963-1970
 * Wilhelm Martin Bickel - member in 1958-1963, president in 1963-1966
 * Pierre Goetschin - member in 1963-1966, president in 1966-1969
 * Luigi Solari - member in 1968-1972, president in 1972-1975
 * Silvio Borner - member in 1975-1977, president in 1978-1981
 * René Leo Frey - member in 1984-1989, president in 1990-1993
 * Claude Jeanrenaud - member in 1987-1992, president in 1993-1996
 * Ernst Baltensperger - president in 1996-1999, editor-in-chief in 1985-1996 of the SJES
 * Georg Rich - member in 1989-1993, president in 1999-2001
 * Philippe Bacchetta - president in 1999-2006, 2011-2014, 2014-2017
 * Alexandre Swoboda - member in 1978-1984, president in 2002-2005
 * Peter Kugler - member in 2005, president in 2006-2008
 * Gebhard Kirchgässner - president in 2008-2011
 * Monika Bütler - president in 2014-2017, member in 2018-2019
 * Yvan Michel Lengwiler - president in 2017-2020
 * Martina Viarengo - member in 2020-(2021)

Conferences

 * 2002 University of Neuchâtel "The State of Economic Research in Switzerland"
 * 2003 University of Bern "Economic Governance: The Role of Markets and of the State"
 * 2004 University of Basel "Money and International Financial Markets"
 * 2005 ETH Zurich "Resource Economics, Technology, and Sustainable Development"
 * 2006 Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano "Industrial Organization, Innovation and Regulation"
 * 2007 University of St. Gallen "Finance and Financial Economtrics"
 * 2008 University of Lausanne "Health Economics and Econometrics"
 * 2009 University of Geneva "Globalization: Patterns and Challenges"
 * 2010 University of Fribourg "International Migration: Theory, Evidence and Policy"
 * 2011 University of Lucerne "New Developments in Political Economy"
 * 2012 University of Zurich "Rationality"
 * 2013 University of Neuchâtel "The Energy Transition and its Challenges"
 * 2014 University of Bern "Post-crisis Macroeconomics"
 * 2015 University of Basel "The Solvency of Pension Systems"
 * 2016 Unviversità della Svizzera italiana in Lugano "Inequalities - Causes and Implications for Economic Policies"
 * 2017 University of Lausanne "Economists and Policy Making"
 * 2018 University of St. Gallen "Household Finance"
 * 2019 Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva "Sustainable Development"
 * 2021 University of Zürich "Digital Transformation"
 * 2022 University of Fribourg "Social media and its challenges for economic policy"
 * 2023 University of Neuchâtel "International Spillovers"
 * 2024 University of Lucerne "Economic Populism"

Weblinks

 * Homepage of the Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics
 * Homepage of the Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics
 * Records of the Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics in Swiss Economic Archives