The seventh edition of LEOH – the “Lectures on the Economics of Organizations and Human Resources” – a series of bi-annual summer schools for graduate students and faculty in economics and management science, will be hosted by the University of Cologne on September 9-10, 2026. The local host is Prof. Dirk Sliwka.
Since 2019, LEOH officially serves as the summer academy of the Committee for Organizational Economics and takes place in conjunction with the Committee’s annual workshop. LEOH was founded in 2015 by committee members Florian Englmaier, Guido Friebel, and Dirk Sliwka. The 2026 edition is co-organized and co-funded by the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy.
LEOH’s lecturers are internationally renowned scholars who have contributed substantially to the economics of organizations and human resources. Past editions took place at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (2015, Prof. Robert Gibbons, MIT), LMU Munich (2016, Prof. Oliver Hart, Harvard University), University of Cologne (2017, Prof. Paul Heidhues, DICE), University of Hamburg (2018, Prof. Antoinette Schoar, MIT), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2019, Prof. Tore Ellingsen, Stockholm School of Economics), and Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (2022, Prof. Andrea Prat, Columbia University).
LEOH 2026 consists of two days of lectures by Prof. Jin Li and a poster session, where advanced PhD students and junior faculty (up to 3 years after completion of their PhD) will have the opportunity to present their work. A fair number of senior faculty also attend LEOH. Hence, there is ample opportunity for feedback and networking, including structured one-to-one meetings with senior faculty.
LEOH participants may also apply to attend the Committee’s annual workshop and to present a paper there. The workshop partially overlaps with LEOH and will also take place at the University of Cologne on September 10-11, 2026.
For more detailed information on the Committee for Organizational Economics, see https://sites.google.com/site/organisationsoekonomik.
The venue for both LEOH and the workshop is the WiSo-Highrise (7th floor, Universitätsstraße 24, 50931 Cologne).
Application
We expect to accommodate a total of 50-60 participants, including senior faculty. Space is therefore limited. Please register (Committee members) or apply (non-members) here.
To apply, you are asked to provide a CV, a short statement of motivation (up to 300 words) and, if you wish to present, an extended summary. PhD students will also need to provide a short email / letter of support by their academic supervisor. The email should be sent separately by the supervisor to orgec.vfs@gmail.com.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 15, 2026
There will be a participation fee of 200€ for LEOH 2026, which includes two lunches, refreshments, and a dinner. Accommodation and travel costs are not covered by this contribution. For participation in the annual workshop of the Committee for Organizational Economics there will be an additional charge of 100€, covering lunch, refreshments, and dinner during the workshop. If your application is accepted, you will receive an email with all the necessary details regarding the payment process.
Accommodation
We have reserved rooms at three different hotels which can all be reached from the main station as well as the venue within 15 minutes. To book a room, please note the following:
- Best Western Plus Hotel o Reservations via the following link Best Western Plus Hotel Koeln City | Rooms & Rates
- Standard single room
- 96,60 EUR including breakfast
- Available until August 10, 2026
- Free cancellation until September 1, 2026
- Sleepy Cologne o Reservations via email buero@sleepy-booking.com. Please use the following code: Uni-150926
- Single and/or double rooms as apartments (self-catering)
- 85 EUR single room/night; 95 EUR double room/nicht (excl. 5 % culture tax)
- Available until August 10, 2026
- Free cancellation until August 25, 2026
- Hotel Chelsea
- Reservations via email mail@hotel-chelsea.de. Please use the following code UKSP26
- French single room
- 95 EUR excl. breakfast excl. 5 % culture tax (breakfast (16 EUR) can be booked upon arrival)
- Available until August 8, 2026
Venue
WiSo-Highrise (7th floor)
Universitätsstraße 24, 50931 Cologne