RESEARCH CENTRE CONFERENCE 2014

 

What is Eurozone's Future: Policy Commitments vs. Freeriding

Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic

November 27 -- 28, 2014

Conference Programme

 

Is European crisis over? Despite some positive signs, we are still not certain. Whereas the acute phase of the crisis has already passed, the medium and the long term problems have not yet been solved. The current fiscal stabilization has been achieved only through budgetary restrictions. The policies of the "internal devaluations" are working only slowly to restore the competitiveness of countries most affected by the crisis. Moreover, the fiscal and competitiveness successes are accompanied by the rising unemployment and social tensions, endangering the political stability in a degree which has not been seen in Europe for decades. The growth remains at best sluggish and the medium and long term outlooks remain highly uncertain.

 

The growth recovery as a solution to the "European" future is increasingly attracting attention in economic theory and policy. There is a broad consensus that dynamic structural reforms are the key answer to current challenges. However, there are no answers yet to deeper questions: What do mean the structural reforms in particular? What will be their impact not only on economies, but on the political and social stability of EU and its individual member countries? And, indeed, how should the structural reform be implemented? Given the historical differences and specificities of individual member countries, should the structural reforms be implemented by bottom-up or top-down?

 

A thorough discussion of these issues is urgently needed, exploring their various meanings, what it may include, what structural arrangements are economically feasible, possible governance structures and, , the likely robustness of various arrangements in the dynamic globalized economy of the 21st century. And last but not least, what political arrangements are compatible with the different models of economic recovery and sustainable economic growth.

 

These issues will be addressed at the next annual conference of the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic on November 27-28, 2014. Especially (but not exclusively) the following issues will be discussed:

 

  1. Eurozone's Stabilization: Is It Sustainable without Structural Reforms?
  2. Structural Reforms and Eurozone's "Unions": Fiscal, Banking, Political?
  3. Structural Reforms Commitment As the Key to the Eurozone's  (And EU's) Future?
  4. Top-Down vs Bottom-Up design of Reforms?
  5. The ways to a Recovery
  6. North vs. South. Structural Reforms as Economic, Political and Social Phenomenon
  7. "Political Union" and Financial Transfers
  8. Demographics -- The Key to the EU future?

 

The Format of the Conference:

 

The language of the conference is English. All submissions will be reviewed by independent experts in their fields. Selected papers will be presented in 7 to 8 sessions. Each presentation will be discussed. Selected papers and discussion contributions will be published in the form of a conference volume (book).

 The conference will take place on the premises of the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic. For the contributing participants, rooms will be reserved in Brno hotels. Registration costs (which do not include travel and lodging) are estimated today at Euro 190.

Organizing Committee: Prof. Antonin Rusek, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, USA; Prof. Dr. Jarko Fidrmuc, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Germany; Assoc. Prof. Lubor Lacina, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic; Assoc. Prof. Petr Rozmahel, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic; Assoc. Prof. Svatopluk Kapounek, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic.

 

 Important dates:

 

Deadline for submitting abstracts (350-500 words)          October 17th,  2014

Notice of Acceptance                                                           October 24th, 2014

Submission of the full paper:                                              November 1st, 2014

 

Contacts (for information and submitting abstracts): In Czech Republic: lacina@mendelu.cz In USA: rusek@susqu.edu In Europe:  jarko.fidrmuc@zu.de