PASRC's multidisciplinary webinar is a monthly webinar organized by the PASRC's Research Committee. It aims to promote African research teams and foster multidisciplinary collaboration between them. During these sessions, the speaker provides an overview of his/her work, or his/her team's research, keeping in mind the multidisciplinary audience and perspective.

Title: Data science and deep learning Vs Theory: a non-technical report from economics and finance

Abstract

The unprecedented spread of data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques in a large number of scientific disciplines ranging from SSH to theoretical physics through life sciences has led many influential researchers to warn about the potential impact of this trend on the shape of their respective disciplines, notably with respect to the preeminence of their conceptual foundations. This talk is an open, non-technical report from economics and finance. It traces back to the development of computational economics in the late 80s to current practices and prospects. Based on this historical view, the conclusion is far more contrasted. 

Bio

Raouf Boucekkine is professor of economics and finance in Rennes School of Business, on leave from Aix-Marseille School of Economics since September 2021. He was professor at UCLouvain, 1998-2013, and at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 1993-1998, among other appointments. He has been elected fellow of the Econometric Society in 2020, and he is honorary senior fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France, being nominated senior member in 2014. He has also served as president-elect then president of ASSET (Association of Southern-European Economic Theorists) from 2013 to 2017, and as the Europe-based coordinator of the world network of Institutes for Advanced Study, UBIAS, 2018-2020.

Raouf Boucekkine has been director of several institutions throughout Europe. He has been, among others, director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Aix-Marseille University, IMéRA (2015-2020), scientific director of Aix-Marseille School of Economics (2011-2015), co-director of the Center of Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE) at UCLouvain (2008-2010) and deputy chairman of the department of economics at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (1997-1998). He’s currently co-chair of the UBIAS Intercontinental Academy on Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence, 2020-2022, and member of the Advisory Board of the World Pandemic Research Network (WPRN). Finally, Raouf Boucekkine has been working as economic or scientific advisor in Africa since 2008, notably in Algeria and Democratic Republic of Congo.