The honorary doctorate of Masaryk University goes to the field of economics!

On Thursday, Chris Nash, Professor of Transport Economics at the Institute of Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, joined the ranks of Masaryk University's Doctor Honoris Causa recipients. Professor Nash is one of the world's most respected experts in the field of transport economics. Professor Nash's professional reputation is reflected not only in his successful academic career but also in his public sector consultancy work - Chris Nash has served as an expert advisor to the UK Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Group of Transport Ministers. Chris Nash has been associated throughout his career with the University of Leeds, where he was a leader in the Institute of Transport Studies.

During his long academic career, he has had a major impact on the development of a wide range of topics in transport economics, and his publications have often represented major advances in the field. He has been a major contributor to three fundamental areas: the debate on the optimal structure of the rail industry, where he was heavily involved in the preliminary discussions on the optimal form of reform and subsequently became a major expert on its evaluation.

The second area is the economics of high-speed lines. Chris Nash has consistently pointed out under what economic conditions the construction of high-speed lines makes sense and when their construction is a mere waste of taxpayers' resources. In the context of Czech facts, it is worth recalling his thesis that it is difficult to economically defend the meaningfulness of high-speed lines that are unable to generate demand of at least 10 million passengers per year.

The third area where Chris Nash has influenced the development of the industry has been the form of European rail reform over the last thirty years. He has contributed to addressing two fundamental questions of the reform - what is the optimal vertical structure of the industry and how competition should be introduced into the industry. It was in addressing these questions that the research interests of Professor Nash and the research group at the Faculty of Economics and Administration of Masaryk University intersected and fruitful research collaboration was established. Chris Nash established contact with Masaryk University in 2015 when he participated in a roundtable organised at the Faculty of Economics and Administration on the introduction of competition in the market for rail transport services. Since then, Professor Nash has been working with the Faculty of Economics and Administration on an ongoing basis and has been involved in its development.

Four international conferences and five international workshops were organised between 2016 and 2022 in collaboration with Professor Nash and the Transport Economics Research Group at Masaryk University. Professor Nash's reputation and erudition have been instrumental in the participation of leading figures in the field of transport economics at these events. Collaboration with Professor Nash has played a significant role in securing the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education New Mobilities project focused on the analysis of the benefits and risks of building high-speed rail lines in the Czech Republic. Professor Nash serves in this project as a chair of the panel of international experts who monitors the research progress of the project and formulates recommendations for the further progress of the research activities.

We should not forget Chris's fondness for hiking which has contributed to the fact that the best ideas have come from walks on the Yorkshire moors or around the Brno reservoir. Professor Chris Nash has influenced several generations of transport economists and in his long career, there are just a few topics in transport economics that he has not covered. His lifelong specialism and love have been railway economics, where his contributions are undisputed. Today's award recognises not only Professor Nash's lifetime of work, but also his collaboration with Masaryk University and the Faculty of Economics and Administration.