7th International Workshop on Domestic Revenue Mobilization: “Taxation, inequality and social cohesion”
On November 13 and 14, the German Development Institute organises its 7th International Workshop on Domestic Revenue Mobilization with a specific focus on taxation, inequality and social cohesion. The workshop will discuss the relationship between these dimensions from different angles, covering subnational, national and international levels and combining views from economic, political science and international relations research.
“In the last decades the world has experienced an exacerbation of different forms of inequalities. For example, within-country income inequality has increased significantly since the late 1980s, particularly in OECD member countries. In many countries of the Global South, persistent concentrations of power and wealth contribute to undermining already weakly legitimised institutions. In addition, perceptions of unfairness create fertile grounds for social conflicts, political instability and violence. Overall, these trends put additional pressure on social cohesion, which is a major obstacle for achieving the goals that the international community has set itself for the next decades. Without direct action to reverse these trends, the guiding principle of the Agenda 2030, “leaving no one behind” cannot be satisfied.
The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) has set up a workstream on the links between taxation, social protection and social cohesion within a larger project on social cohesion in Africa. We understand the fiscal contract as the result of an explicit or implicit negotiation between taxpayers and government, where the former comply with tax obligations in exchange for the effective provision of public services. The fiscal contract literature highlights the connection between what citizens perceive they get in exchange for their taxes and their willingness to pay. A growing body of research focuses on the effect that fairness, progressivity and incidence of fiscal systems have on social cohesion. This connection has also become a topic of public debate, following a series of international tax scandals.”
The 7th International Workshop on Domestic Revenue Mobilization will discuss issues such as (i) the role of fiscal contracts and political factors in shaping taxation, (ii) the use of revenue from natural resources and their impact on inequality, social cohesion and the fiscal contract, (iii) the treatment of illicit financial flows and tax expenditures, (iv) modelling the relationship between taxation, social policies and inequality, and (v) the changing role of international organizations in promoting domestic revenue mobilization.
As in previous workshops, the aim of this event is to bring together renowned scholars, government officials and other experts to discuss ongoing research in this area and assess its policy implications.
Participation is by invitation only. To register we kindly ask you to send an email to Gisela Kuhlmann ([email protected]) before 08 November 2018.
(This workshop is financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development – BMZ)