About Us
Chartered in the Principality of Liechtenstein, the European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation (ECAEF) is an independent academic institution designated to research in the scientific tradition of the Austrian School of Economics and the advancement of its seminal ideas. The ECAEF is an innovative European think tank that firmly stands for self-responsibility, individual freedom, and limited government.
ECAEF mission
Who we are and Where we are
The European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation is an innovative, independent, and academic Think Tank that is chartered and headquartered in Vaduz, the Principality of Liechtenstein.
What we Stand for
ECAEF stands for individual freedom, self-responsibility, private property, free markets, and limited government. Thus, in essence we embrace the intellectual tradition of the Austrian School of Economics.
Our Goals
ECAEF seeks to promote a better understanding for the political application of this schools socio-economic ideas. To that end, we strive to attain greater involvement of the public in critical thoughts concerning the proper role of the state, redistribution issues, or free competition.
What we Engage in
The ECAEF conducts academic and applied research, organizes international conferences and seminars, disseminates market based ideas. and among other endeavors, is also the publisher of the bilingual book series, the ECAEF “Studien zur Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftsordnung”.
Board of directors
H.S.H. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein (LI) - President
H.S.H. Prince Michael von und zu Liechtenstein is a resident of the Principality of Liechtenstein and studied economics and business administration at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. He received there his Master Degree in Business Administration (Magister der Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften). His studies included also various practical training periods and work with banks and manufacturing companies in the US, Canada and Belgium (Brussels).
From 1978 to 1987 he has been working in the international food industry with Nestlé. First in controlling and financial management in various markets in Europe and Africa, then in the general management in a foreign subsidiary and finally marketing management for frozen food in Europe. Since his return to the Principality of Liechtenstein in 1987 he is Chairman of Industrie- und Finanzkontor Ets., an independent, international trust company based in Vaduz with a long-standing tradition and expertise in Wealth Preservation.
In 2011 Prince Michael founded Geopolitical Intelligence Services (GIS), a geopolitical consulting and intelligence services company, and serves as its chairman. Furthermore, he is the founding President of ECAEF European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation. Prince Michael is an internationally renowned speaker and author. He predominantly focuses on the issues of liberal societies, the real meaning of wealth and wealth preservation, the role of states and politics as well as geopolitical trends and background information.
H.S.H. Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein (LI)
H.S.H. Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein, is a resident of Liechtenstein and studied history and social sciences at the universities of Bonn and Basle. Prince Philipp joined the LGT Bank in Vaduz as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors in 1981. Since 1990 he chairs the Foundation Board of the LGT Group and is also publisher of CREDO, the LGT Journal of Wealth Culture.
H.S.H. Prince Philipp started his professional banking career first at Hambros Bank & Trust Ltd., an established and well-known London-based company, and then worked in the Paris headquarters of Banque Rothschild, a bank specializing in asset management. From 1979 until 1981, he served as chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Liechtensteinische Landesbank in Vaduz. H.S.H. Prince Philipp is Governor of the European Financial Forum in London, a founding board member of the European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation in Vaduz, a member of the Advisory Council of the Brazzaville Foundation for Peace and Conservation (BFPC) in London and a member of the Foundation Board of ITC International Tax Centre Charitable Foundation Mauren/LI.
Vinzenz von Thurn-Valsassina (AT)
Vinzenz Thurn-Valsassina is a native of Austria and holds a Master Degree in Business Sciences from Vienna’s University of Economics and an Executive MBA degree from California State University, Hayward (USA). After completing his studies, Vinzenz Thurn-Valsassina worked in different positions for about 15 years within the Raiffeisen Group in Austria and from 1995 until 2003 he served as Regional President of the Raiffeisen Banking Group in Kärnten, Austria.
In addition to his banking career, he managed the traditional family-held agricultural and forestry company in and around Bleiburg, Kärnten. Building on the long history and experience in managing the family’s agro business, in 2002 Thurn-Valsassina founded VTMT Group, an agricultural investment service and farmland investment company that has its headquarters in Austria. In 2003 he left his high-ranking position at the Austrian Raiffeisen Group and moved to Montevideo, Uruguay with his family. Today the VTMT Group successfully manages more than 30,000 hectares productive agricultural land for livestock and crops in four countries on two different continents (Austria, Paraguay, Romania and Uruguay).
Pieter-Vincenz van der Byl (RSA)
Pieter-Vincenz van der Byl is a Senior Advisor at Principal Asset Management based in Schaan, Liechtenstein. He started his career as an analyst at Gabelli Asset Management in London. He was managing director of Ticaret Securities, an Istanbul-based asset management company that focused on Turkey and the markets of the Eastern Mediterranean.
He has an MA (Hons) in Finance and Economics from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. His other areas of interest include Sub-Saharan Africa, aquaculture, offshore E&P and emerging market investing.
Prof. Andreas Altmann
Andreas Altmann was born in 1963 in Austria. He studied Business Administration and Economics at the Universities of Linz and Innsbruck and International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University, SAIS Bologna Center. He received his doctoral degree in Business & Economics from the University of Innsbruck in 1993 and entered his academic career as a postdoctoral researcher first at the Department of Public Finance and later-on at the Department of Strategic Management at the University of Innsbruck. There he got involved in building up a new school from scratch, now being known as MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, under the umbrella of the University of Innsbruck, the region, its capital city as well as the regional chambers of industry, commerce and labor. He became the founding Managing Director and later-on also Rector and has successfully lead MCI to an internationally acknowledged autonomous university institution with meanwhile more than 3,500 students, 1,000 full-time, adjunct and part-time faculty, 300 partner universities and numerous successful alumni from around the world. Andreas Altmann is also Honorary Professor at the University of Innsbruck, Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley and Yale Universsity and member of numerous prestigious boards in the academic, corporate and start-up world. His research interest focuses on university management, regulation and governance including the competitive environment and market behavior in the higher education and research sector as well as the development and management of regions.
Academic Director
Kurt R. Leube (US)
Kurt R. Leube, a native of Austria and resident of California (USA). He studied law and economics and is Professor of Economics (emeritus) and Research Fellow (emeritus) at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He specialized in Austrian Economics, Social Philosophy and the History of Economic Thought.
Currently he serves as founding Academic Director of the European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation (ECAEF), a leading public policy think tank based in Vaduz, as well as Academic Director of the Liechtenstein Academy Foundation (LAF). Prof. Leube holds several recurrent guest professorships, among others at LUISS ‘Guido Carli’ in Rome. Leube also is editor-in-chief of the bilingual book series “ECAEF – Studien zur Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftsordnung”, published in Vaduz. Among his numerous publications only his classics “The Essence of Hayek”, “The Essence of Friedman” or “The Essence of Stigler” should be mentioned.
ECAEF Ambassador
William (Bill) Waite
William (Bill) Waite is an investment banker specializing in private and public company valuation.
Bill has worked on both the buy- and sell-sides in asset management, as well as in academia as an economics and business school professor. He has been active in various entrepreneurial ventures and not-for-profit organizations throughout his career.
Bill has a BA in philosophy, an MBA from Vanderbilt University, and an MA in economics from the University of Connecticut, where his research centered on the history of monetary policy.
Bill is a published author, avid traveler, and exceptionally mediocre fisherman. He lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.
Academic Advisors
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