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6th World Bank/IFS/ODI Public Finance Conference | Driving Progress: Public Finance and Structural Transformation

September 26-27, 2024
Washington, DC and Online
6th World Bank/IFS/ODI Public Finance Conference

Stay tuned! Event recordings will be available soon.

The 6th World Bank/IFS/ODI Public Finance Conference took place in Washington, DC, on September 26-27, 2024, with streaming for non-presenting attendees. 

This event is part of the 2024 Tax Data Analytics Week. Visit the week¡¯s website for the full agenda and details on other events.

About the Conference

As low- and middle-income countries grow, the structure of production, trade and employment changes; it is imperative for public finance policies to evolve in tandem with these changes. Depending on a country¡¯s development model and natural resources, growth takes different forms, but it typically consists of an expansion of manufacturing and tertiary sectors, diversification of trade, and more limited reliance on primary sectors. Growth is also accompanied by increasing formalization of firms and employment, human capital accumulation and demographic shifts. The mix of tax instruments, the structure of unemployment insurance, and the financing of pension systems hence need to adapt in the process of structural change ¨C and might also have an important role in fostering those changes. 

The 2024 Public Finance Conference will feature presentations from both micro and macro perspectives, that relate to the conference theme and inform policy design in low and middle-income countries. Topics will include:

  • Tax policies suitable for lower-income countries on a growth trajectory;  
  • Fiscal policy aimed at promoting structural transformation, including industrial policy; 
  • Fiscal and Labor market policies addressing high informality / promoting rapid formalization; 
  • Design of government pensions systems in low and middle-income countries; 

Keynote Address 

The keynote address will be delivered by , Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. 

Pre-Conference Side Event

Taking place immediately prior to the conference, 'The Business of Taxing Businesses in East Africa' event will be held on Wednesday, September 25th at 9:30 at the World Bank MC Building. For more information, please visit the event website.

 

Public Finance Conference Agenda

All times are in EST

Day 1 - Thursday, September 26 

8:30-9:20

Registration & Breakfast 

9:20-9:30

Opening Remarks
Manuela Francisco (Global Director, World Bank) (watch video)

9:30-11:00

Session 1: Fiscal Policies to Promote Structural Transformation
Chair: Katia Vostroknutova (World Bank)

 ¡°Place-based Policy, Migration Barriers, and Spatial Inequality¡± 
Presenter: Nghiem Q. Huynh (University of Oklahoma) (watch video | | )
Discussant: Anh Pham (George Mason University)

 ¡°The Spatial Production Network and Optimal Spatial Industrial Policies: An Application in the Context of China¡± 
Presenter: Yingyan Zhao (George Washington University) (watch video | | )
Discussant: Elena Ianchovichina (World Bank)

¡°Bureaucrats and the Korean Export Miracle¡± 
Presenter: Philipp Barteska (London School of Economics and Political Science) (watch video | | )
Discussant: Juan Felipe Ria?o (Georgetown University)

11:00-11:20

Coffee Break

11:20-12:20

Keynote Session
Chair: Deon Filmer (Research Group Director, World Bank)

Keynote Speaker: , Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. (watch video)

12:20-13:30

Lunch Break

13:30-15:00

Session 2: Public Finances of Pensions & Social Protection
Chair: David Phillips (Institute for Fiscal Studies)

¡°Does Financial Inclusion Mitigate Social Exclusion?¡± 
Presenter: Ashish Sedai (University of Texas at Arlington) (watch video | | )
Discussant: William Jack (Georgetown University)

 ¡°Old-Age Pension and Labor Market Outcomes of Younger Individuals: Evidence from Uganda¡± 
Presenter: Nathan Sunday (University of Michigan) ()
Discussant: Clement Joubert (World Bank)

 ¡°Mitigating the Consequences of Job Loss: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia¡± 
Presenter: Fran?ois Gerard (University College London) 
Discussant: Eliana Carranza (World Bank)

15:00-15:30

Coffee Break 

15:30-16:30

Egg-timer 1: Taxes in a Changing World
Chair: Mahvish Shaukat (World Bank)

¡°Structural Transformation and Tax Administration: Development and the Changing Tax System¡± 
Presenter: Luis Felipe Saenz (University of South Carolina) ()

¡°The Global Allocation of Extractive Windfalls¡± 
Presenter: Alice Chiocchetti (Paris School of Economics) (watch video | )

¡°Biased Tax Enforcement as A Trade Barrier: The Role of Mandated Transparency at Customs¡± 
Presenter: Jiancong Liu (Bocconi University) (watch video | | )

¡°Crypto Crackdown: Insights into Tax Compliance¡± 
Presenter: Mona Barake (Skatteforsk, NMBU) (watch video | )

 ¡°Mobile Technologies and Firm Formalization: Evidence from Uganda¡± 
Presenter: Krisztina Kis-Katos (University of G?ttingen) (watch video | | )

16:30-16:45

Coffee Break 

16:45-17:45

Policy Session
Chair: Kyle McNabb (Overseas Development Institute)

Title: "Sector- and location-specific fiscal policies: challenges, opportunities and lessons" 
(watch video)

Speakers:
Paula Szenkman (CIPPEC ¨C Argentina)
Marry-Jean V. Yasol (National Tax Research Center - Philippines)
Denis Mukama (Rwanda Revenue Authority)

Partners

Public Finance Conference Partners

Organizing Committee

Jaffar Al Rikabi, Annette Alstads?ter, Pierre Bachas, Anne Brockmeyer, Pablo Garriga, Fran?ois Gerard, Hazel Granger, Jonas Hjort, Christopher Hoy, Oyebola Okunogbe, David Phillips, Thiago Scot, Mahvish Shaukat, Dario Tortarolo, Yani Tyskerud, Ekaterina Vostroknutova, Mazhar Waseem.