Ignace Adant holds a PhD in Economics from École Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) and is a post-doctoral fellow of CORE (UClouvain, Belgium).
His methodology interfaces several disciplines in human sciences: it combines in-depth field studies (complete immersion, participatory observation and/or interviews) with econometrics and formal treatments. In his dissertation, this methodology enabled him to explain how opacity is preserved in the markets for ferrous scrap (a recyclable commodity used in electric arc furnaces to produce crude steel) and under what conditions this type of opacity is socially preferable. To further look into the properties of opacity in markets and into the role of the informal institutions that overcome market failures, Ignace Adant is currently analyzing the functioning of “markets for technologies”. Despite recent scientific contributions, arm’s length transactions on property rights still raise many questions; his research will offer a thorough examination of factors that impede technology transfers through arm’s length market transactions and will help to appraise the role to impart informational intermediaries.