Martin Kahanec

Martin Kahanec is a Professor at the Department of Public Policy at Central European University (CEU) in Vienna and Director of the Shattuck Center for Human Rights. He held roles as Dean of CEU's School of Public Policy (2017–19, 2020–21) and Head of the Department of Public Policy (2021–2023). He is also the Founder and Scientific Director of CELSI in Bratislava, and an Affiliated Researcher at multiple institutions, including the University of Economics, Bratislava and MERIT/United Nations University.

• Education: PhD in Economics (2006, Tilburg University), M.A. (Central European University), and undergraduate degrees (Comenius University).

His research focuses on economic policy, labor economics, migration, EU mobility, inequalities, and labor market reforms. He has advised numerous international bodies like the European Commission, World Bank, and OECD. He is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Manpower, and former Managing Editor of the IZA Journal of European Labor Studies.

He serves on the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission, Slovak Republic’s Science Council, and is a Vice-President of Academia Europaea. His advisory roles include the Slovak and Czech governments’ scientific boards and the Global Labor Organization.

Notable projects include the Labour Rights Index 2024 and contributions to policy workshops on Ukraine’s reconstruction and pandemic responses.