BETA
Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée

BETA is a research laboratory of the University de Strasbourg, University Nancy 2 and the French National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS. It was created in 1972 and it became an « associate » member of CNRS in 1985, BETA’s activities cover a large range of topics dealing with basic as well as applied scientific research in the fields of economics and management science. Historically, the laboratory developed its research programme along several directions based on micro and macro-economic theories, and is heir to a local tradition of history of economic thought. It has also developed a number of focus areas, often resulting from the fruitful interaction of « theoretical » approaches and « applied » ones – as expressed in its name – such as the economics of innovation, management of technology and organisations, environmental economics, socio-economic approaches of education, training and employment, and historical economics. The result has been the creation of collective competences from years of practice with different methodologies : modelling techniques, cliometrics, econometrics, experimental economics, to mention only a few. In addition, BETA has integrated since January 2005 a research team located at the University Nancy 2, which specialises mainly in the economics of law and in social economics.

In January 2011 BETA numbered some 106 staff members with permanent positions (mainly professors and assistant professors of the university, researchers, administrative and technical personnel) and over hundred non-permanent staff (associate members, PhD students and post-docs).

To manage the laboratory, BETA set up internal structures : 2 components in Strasbourg organised around eight research areas and one component in Nancy. The first component, called “Economics of Change and Management of Systems” (ECHANGES) gathers all researchers whose work focuses mainly on topics dealing with the evolution of economic structures. The second component, called “Economic Theory and Modelling” (THEME), focuses the core of its activity on economic theory and modelling, as indicated by its labelling. Finally the third and most recent component, called “Economic Research on Governance, Law and Social Issues” (REGLES) is located at the University Nancy 2. It focuses on the economics of law. Social economics and its relation to labour and family law represent a second research area.