On Thursday, 25 November 2010, The Institute of Economics, Zagreb organized an international conference on Fiscal Policy in the Crisis and Beyond: Short-term Impacts and Long-term Implications. The conference brought together experts from academia, international institutions, central banks, government institutions and the private sector to discuss the response of fiscal policy to the recent economic crisis. The conference aimed to present various approaches to the role of fiscal policy in the economic crisis from a theoretical, empirical and policy perspective.

Conference Program and Presentations

KEYNOTE LECTURE: 
“Emerging from the Crisis: Recovery, Reform and Macroeconomic Policy in South-Eastern Europe”
Peter Sanfey (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, UK)

KEYNOTE LECTURE: 
“Fiscal Policy: Lessons from the Crisis” (Full text) (Presentation)
Neven Mates (Croatian National Bank, Croatia)

MORNING SESSION: 

“Fiscal Policy and TFP in the OECD: A Non-stationary Panel Approach”
Ruben Schoonackers (SHERPPA, Ghent University, Belgium) 
Freddy Heylen (SHERPPA, Ghent University, Belgium) 

“The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Economic Activity: Evidence from a Threshold VECM Analysis”
Anja Baum (University of Cambridge, UK)

“Increase in Public Expenditures on Tertiary Education: A Burden to Public Finances or Growth Stimulus?”
Jože Sambt (Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Tjaša Redek (Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Boris Majcen (Institute for Economic Research, Slovenia)
Mitja Čok (Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) 

“Medium-term Fiscal Prospects in Croatia: Some Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations and a Case for Fiscal Rules”
Ivica Rubil (The Institute of Economics, Zagreb, Croatia)
Sandra Švaljek (The Institute of Economics, Zagreb, Croatia) 

AFTERNOON SESSION:

“Fiscal Impact of the Crisis in CESEE and Challenges Ahead”
Markus Eller (Austrian National Bank, Austria) 

“Investigating the Cyclical Behavior of Fiscal Policy in the Republic of Macedonia During the Period of Transition”
Anita Angelovska Bezoska (National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonia) 
Jane Bogoev (National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonia)
Ana Mitreska (National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonia)
Maja Kadievska Vojnović (National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonia) 

“Automatic Stabilizers vs. Discretionary Measures: Evidence from Croatia”
Ana Grdović Gnip (Department of Economics and Tourism, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Croatia)