Bärtås was granted the award with the following jury motivation: “‘European Discoveries: Cultural Europeanization of Swedish Culture Pages 1977-1989’ is a time-historical analysis of the cultural influence on Sweden from Continental Europe during the decade before the fall of the Berlin wall. The analysis is based mainly on a detailed study of the work of three cultural journalists who were working for leading Swedish newspapers. The essay deals with extensive empirical work in a theoretically conscious way. The European perspective is well developed and the essay makes a clear research contribution. Overall, the thesis demonstrates a very good understanding of the relevant literature and appeals to a general readership.”
Read an interview with Olof here, where you can also find his thesis.
Neubauer recieved the honourable mention with the following jury motivation: "'European Integration and Switzerland: A Synthetic Control Analysis of Switzerland’s Trade Potential if Switzerland Had Joined the European Union,' is an economic analysis of remarkably high quality. It excels in both the linguistic and structural aspects of the thesis, as well as in the author's advanced methodological approach. The central question of the thesis revolves around whether Switzerland would have experienced increased bilateral trade had the country joined the EU in 1995. Using a synthetic control method, Neubauer conducts a counterfactual analysis by estimating the hypothetical, so-called synthetic, trade flows (derived from Austria, Sweden, and Finland’s, and others, trade data). Comparing Switzerland’s actual trade flows from 1995 to 2008 with these estimates reveals that the country has paid a surprisingly low price for its decision to remain outside the EU. This result constitutes a significant scientific contribution to the field of European economic integration.”
Read an interview with Linda here, where you can also find her thesis.