On 5 to 7 October, 2022, NEOMA Rouen campus in France welcomed international academics and professionals for the 2022 edition of the DySES conference, organised by the school’s “The Complexity Advantage” Area of Excellence. The main topic was Solving complex problems.

Dynamics of Socio-Economic Systems (DySES) is an umbrella organisation that promotes interdisciplinary research on socio-economic systems in general. Its conferences provide a unique opportunity for practitioners, academics and regulators to exchange new ideas and tools on both theoretical and empirical grounds. Round tables and a gala dinner encourage networking between the participants.

Co-chairs Alessio ISHIZAKA, professor at NEOMA, and Massimo Squillante, professor at University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy, share their impressions of the Conference.

Why was Solving complex problems chosen as the main theme for the 2022 DySES conference?

Problems are much more complex today because we are in a globalised world where everything is interconnected and therefore difficult to understand. To solve these problems, we need interdisciplinary solutions. Traditional conferences are based on sectors, and DySES is breaking boundaries and seeking out-of-the-box solutions by mixing sectors.

What were the keys moments of the conference?

The key moment was the plenary session with the Nobel Prize winner Vernon Smith. He presented his latest work on experimental economics where he explained that participants do not want to inflict punishment on competing participants. We were astonished that at ninety-five years old, he is still active and producing excellent research.

We also enjoyed the free time we had to socialise in the beautiful city of Rouen as well as the gala dinner in the iconic Hôtel de Bourgtheroulde. This offered the participants plenty of time to network and discuss new ideas.

What main ideas emerged from the discussions between the participants?

The main idea that was brought up at the roundtable is that professors have three roles: research, teaching but also society outreach. This means that it is important for research to have an impact on our lives and not just live in the lab or the library. Therefore, the collaboration between academia and industry is key to the transfer of knowledge. To facilitate this transfer, the government is often an important player. An industrial PhD financed by the Italian government was presented as an example.