IMF Conference

Advanced economies are considering medium-term fiscal consolidation plans in response to the largest and most pervasive increase in government debt/GDP ratios since World War II.

This one-day conference will present case studies for each of the G7 countries and a broader cross-country analysis, identifying key factors underlying both failures and successes. A concluding panel discussion, which is open to the public, will tackle forward-looking policy issues on fiscal adjustment.

This conference is an opportunity for feedback on early drafts of the studies, which will be published as a book in early 2011.

To register for the panel discussion please e-mail FAD Conference. Please include your name, affiliation, and an e-mail address. The deadline for public registration is Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Registered attendees will be required to present photo identification on entering the IMF at 720 19th Street, N.W. Washington D.C.

Program

Large Fiscal Adjustment Plans
Thursday, December 9, 2010
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM	Breakfast
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM	Opening Remarks John Lipsky (First Deputy Managing Director, IMF)
9:20 AM – 10:10 AM	Cross-Country Analysis
Chair	T. Bayoumi (Senior Advisor, Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, IMF)
Presentation	S. A. Abbas, F. Hasanov, J. Park
Discussant	Roel Beetsma (University of Amsterdam)
10:10 AM – 10:30 AM	Coffee Break
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM	Case Studies: Canada and United States
Chair	D. Robinson (Deputy Director, Western Hemisphere Department, IMF)
Presentations	On Canada: Q. Liu, C. Sancak, T. Nakata (New York University) On the United States: J. Jonas
Discussant	Alan Auerbach (University of California, Berkeley) Paul-Henri Lapointe (Former Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Finance Canada)
11:30 AM – 12:10 PM	Case Study: United Kingdom
Chair	Ajai Chopra (Deputy Director, European Department, IMF)
Presentation	T. Ahnert (London School of Economics), R. Hughes, K. Takahashi
Discussant	David Heald (University of Aberdeen)
12:10 PM – 1:40 PM	Lunch Break
1:40 PM – 2:40 PM	Case Studies: France and Germany
Chair	A.-M. Gulde-Wolf (Senior Advisor, European Department, IMF)
Presentations	On France: E. Martin, I. Tytell, I. Yakadina On Germany: C. Breuer (Ifo Institute), J. Gottschalk, A. Ivanova
Discussants	Benoît Coeuré (Deputy Director-General of the Treasury, France)
2:40 PM – 3:40 PM	Case Studies: Italy and Japan
Chair	Anoop Singh (Director, Asia and Pacific Department, IMF)
Presentations	On Italy: F. Balassone, S. Momigliano, P. Rizza (Bank of Italy) On Japan: K. Takahashi, K. Tokuoka, J. Woo
Discussant	Masatsugu Asakawa (Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Japan)
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM	Coffee Break
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM	Panel Discussion (open to the public) | Video
Chair	Caroline Atkinson (Director, External Relations Department, IMF)
Panelists	Alan Auerbach (University of California, Berkeley) Carlo Cottarelli (Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF) Carmen Reinhart (Peterson Institute for International Economics) Vito Tanzi (Former Director of Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF and Former Undersecretary for Economy and Finance, Italian Government)