Public Sector Economics 2019 Conference

The Institute of Public Finance (IPF) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) are organizing the conference Public Sector Economics 2019 – Wealth and property taxation: where do we stand? on 24 October 2019 in Zagreb, Croatia. The goal of the conference is to provide a state-of-the-art assessment of the profession’s thinking on the potentials and limitations of these taxes and their role in the modern economy. We invite submissions of historical reviews, studies of experience, as well as theoretical, empirical and policy papers on different aspects of wealth and property taxation.

The abstract submission deadline is 1 May 2019, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information please follow the IJF link.

Infrastructure Investment in the Western Balkans: A First Analysis

wiiw has recently published a joint publication with the European Investment Bank. The study provides a first analysis of the recent development in infrastructure investment in the Western Balkans. It identifies infrastructure gaps as well as key infrastructure initiatives in the region, outlines the political dimension and provides the respective detailed infrastructure investment data as collected from the Western Balkans statistical offices. The Western Balkans are a good case study also for other regions in the EU neighbourhood that have similar developmental problems. It teaches that (i) intensity of involvement is important; (ii) the composition of the funds matters; (iii) infrastructure funding will not automatically lead to more political cooperation; (iv) infrastructure development funds can also be used as a sort of reward for more political cooperation. These principles could be applied in the EU’s neighbourhood policy for the Eastern Partnership countries as well as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership countries, according to the local requirements.

A download link for the study can be found here.

82nd OeNB East Jour Fixe on vulnerabilities and opportunities

The 82nd East Jour Fixe of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) will address the following issues in three sessions. Session 1 will focus on public sector debt and sustainability considerations in CESEE. A particular focus will be on the structure of public debt in the region and on the role fiscal rules play. Session 2 will deal with developments and drivers of private debt, covering both corporate and household debt and its sustainability. This session will also explore if there is a need for further deleveraging in CESEE. Session 3 will then bring together representatives from the private sector, from CESEE institutions and from international financial institutions to discuss what institutions can contribute to ensuring optimal and sustainable debt developments in the public and private sector. The event takes place on Monday, June 11, 2018, 09:00 a.m. at the OeNB.

For more information please follow the OeNB link.