Since 2007, the CSS Institute has served as the independent research division of the CSS Group. With the aim of advancing the Swiss healthcare system based on empirical evidence, the CSS Institute makes a significant contribution to CSS's commitment to sustainability. The success of the CSS Institute is measured by the scientific quality of its publications and their impact on the healthcare system.
Research and teaching as a core mission
At the core of our work lies the creation, discussion, and publication of scientific research in applied microeconomics. The focus on academic publications makes the CSS Institute a unique entity in the Swiss healthcare sector. Papers from the CSS Institute have been published in renowned journals such as the “Journal of the European Economic Association” and the “Journal of Health Economics”. Additionally, publications by CSS Institute staff have received multiple awards, including the Science Award of the German Society for Health Economics.
Despite the wealth of data generated within the Swiss healthcare system, there is often a lack of infrastructure and access to this information for research purposes. Drawing on its own research experience, the CSS Institute also advises external researchers on their projects and provides them with suitable individual data. Each year, we support around six external research projects with data delivery—free of charge and prioritized for early-career researchers. For particularly ambitious doctoral students, we offer the opportunity to join our team as Research Affiliates during their dissertation—and beyond—helping them further realize the potential of their budding research careers.
In addition to research, CSS Institute staff contribute their health economics expertise to public discussions and teach their own courses at various Swiss universities.
Independence and a focus on causally answerable topics
The CSS Institute enjoys complete research freedom in selecting its topics. Our success—and thus our independence—is reflected in the quality of publications in top-tier economics journals. This independence allows us to conduct research free from day-to-day concerns, focusing on generating insights with long-term relevance. The CSS Institute does not produce analyses for internal purposes, and all research findings are made publicly available without prior approval. As such, the positions of the CSS Institute do not necessarily align with those of the CSS Group.
The CSS Institute is committed to scientific rigor, in line with the “Credibility Revolution” in applied economics that has gained prominence since the 1990s. The Institute firmly believes that only causally grounded analyses can support evidence-based health policy. For this reason, we focus on questions that allow causal conclusions through “natural experiments” . We uphold this standard in all collaborations and when providing data for external research projects to ensure scientifically reliable foundations for decision-making in health policy.