Call for papers: 5th World Bank/IFS/ODI Research Conference

5th World Bank/IFS/ODI Research Conference

The Political Economy of Public Finances

September 21-22, 2023, in London | Submission by May 15, 2023

How should tax systems be designed and how should expenditures be targeted to maximize welfare? Economics provides concepts and tools to analyse these questions, but in the real world, the design of tax and expenditure policies fundamentally depends on the structure of political institutions. Political economy considerations are particularly important in contexts where the social contract between a government and its citizens may be weakened by elite capture, conflict or limited institutional capacity.

This conference brings together leading researchers and policy makers to discuss recent research on the political economy of public finances with relevance for LMICs, including:

• The impact of political institutions, norms and preferences on taxes and expenditure
• The role of civil servants and of management practices in public-sector institutions 
• Subnational public finance and inter-government fiscal transfers
• Measurement of corruption and favouritism and novel monitoring interventions    

Keynote Speaker: Rohini Pande, Henry J. Heinz II Professor of Economics and Director of the Economic Growth Center, Yale University

Format: The conference will take place in person in London, with streaming for non-presenting attendees. Presenters are expected to join in person. The organisers will arrange travel and accommodation for invited presenters.

Submission: We invite researchers from both academic and policy institutions to submit a paper (preferable) or an extended abstract of two or more pages by May 15, 2023 here.

We aim to notify the authors of selected papers by July 2023.

Committee: Annette Alstadsæter, Pierre Bachas, Anne Brockmeyer, Verena Fritz, Pablo Garriga, Hazel Granger, Christopher Hoy, Oyebola Okunogbe, Claudia Vargas Pastor, David Phillips, Thiago Scot, Mahvish Shaukat, Yani Tyskerud.

Visit the 2023 Tax Conference website.