Edward Glaeser – John von Neumann Award Ceremony and Lecture

Date: 16 March 2026, 18:00 

Location: Corvinus University of Budapest, Gellért Campus 

The title of the lecture: Cities, Social Interactions and Infrastructure  

Registration via Facebook event. 

Rajk College for Advanced Studies has selected Edward Glaeser as the recipient of the 2025 John von Neumann Award. Glaeser’s work has had a defining impact on the development of urban economics and has fundamentally shaped the way we think about the economic, social, and institutional roles of cities. The John von Neumann Award is presented annually by Rajk College for Advanced Studies to scholars who have made an outstanding and lasting contributions to the social sciences. Established in 1994, the award recognizes thinkers whose work has profoundly influenced academic research as well as the intellectual development of the College’s students.  

Edward Glaeser earned his degree from Princeton University and received his PhD from the University of Chicago. He is currently a professor at Harvard University, where he has been teaching economics and urban economics for over twenty years, and has also held numerous leading academic and public policy positions. His work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, and he is a member of the most prominent scientific academies. 

Glaeser is one of the most well-known and influential scholars in urban economics. He is the author of hundreds of academic articles and policy analyses, and he also presents his research to a broader audience in widely acclaimed books such as The Triumph of the City, Survival of the City (co-authored with David Cutler), and Fighting Poverty in the U.S. and Europe: A World of Difference (co-authored with Alberto Alesina). 

Join us in celebrating the work of Edward Glaeser! The lecture will offer valuable insights into how social interactions and infrastructure shape the economic development of cities, and why cities are crucial for long-term growth and innovation.