Held by Andrew Patton on Thursday 23rd June 2016 at noon, sponsored by Banca d’Italia
Carlo Giannini passed away on September 11, 2004, after a long illness that he fought with his characteristic courage and energy. His premature death was a huge loss not only for his family and all those who beloved him, but also for the Italian academic world at large and for the Italian econometric community in particular.
Carlo is the author of a number of very relevant contributions on several topics, mostly relating to time-series econometrics. Some of those contributions date back to the time when time-series econometrics in Italy was still in its infancy. Among his many contributions, those on the following topics are particularly worthwhile recalling: estimation and testing of dynamic econometric systems; understanding the properties and implications of ECMs; exogeneity and conditional forecasting; cointegration; neural networks; GARCH; and, last but not least, estimating and diagnostic checking of SVAR. On the latter topic he wrote, in the late 1990s, a very successful book, which was reprinted a few years later and became a reference point for scholars and students alike. Carlo also had a keen interest in empirical analysis and was very active in promoting the adoption of a number of new econometric packages, when the knowledge of and interest in those packages was virtually absent in Italy.
But most important of all, Carlo taught econometrics for more than 25 years with great rigour, indefatigable passion and contagious enthusiasm. His teaching style went a long way toward attracting larger and larger cohorts of students to the field of econometrics, mostly at the University of Pavia, where Carlo spent most of his professional life, but also at the Universities of Ancona and Bergamo. There are no doubts that, without Carlo, econometrics in Italy would not have attracted as much attention as it has.
A number of initiatives have been undertaken over the years to honour his memory, with the support of the Carlo Giannini Association (which includes a number of his former students and friends), together with other institutions (the Bank of Italy; the Unicredit & Universities Foundation; the Centro Interuniversitario di Econometria; the Italian Econometric Association). Among those initiatives: the “Carlo Giannini Econometrics Conference”, which is held every other year in Italy, with the participation of Italian and international researchers with interest in time-series econometrics; and the “Carlo Giannini Fellowship”, which is awarded every other year to promising young researchers in econometrics. The large and prestigious IAAE conference, which is hosting this keynote lecture, represents the perfect occasion to honour Carlo’s memory and pay tribute to his work in front of a wider, international audience.
This keynote lecture in memory of Carlo Giannini is proudly sponsored by the Bank of Italy, where many of Carlo’s former students carry on research in econometric modelling following his teachings and legacy, and keep his memory alive.