Event Review: The Rise of Populism: Case Studies, Economic Determinants and Policy Implications
07 November 2019
conference programme
9th Annual Intereconomics / CEPS Conference in Brussels
New political parties and peoples’ movements have been on the rise in Europe and worldwide for over a decade. This has gone hand in hand with the Great Recession, fiscal adjustments, an increase in migration, cultural backlash and the rise of nationalism and Euroscepticism. How are changes in the political landscape, particularly the rise of populist sentiment, playing out across Europe? Are there common economic determinants of the developments among individual European countries or regions? What are the economic consequences of the populist wave in Europe? Has this sentiment run its course? Will the centre and traditional parties be revived? What role, if any, has the EU played in the rise of populism and what does it mean for the future of the EU?
9:00-9:30 Registration and Coffee
9:30 - 9:45 Welcome and Introduction
Christian Breuer, Editor-in-Chief, Intereconomics, ZBW
Karel Lannoo, CEO, CEPS
9:45 - 10:45 Keynote Speech
On Healing Socio-Economic Divergence
Sir Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Oxford University, UK
Coffee Break
11:15-12:45 Session 1
Upheaval of Traditional Politics Across Europe
Mario Pianta, Professor of Economic Policy, Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence, Italy
László Andor, Secretary General, FEPS, Brussels
Daphne Halikiopoulou, Associate Professor, University of Reading, UK
12:45-13:30 Lunch Break
13:30-14:30 Keynote Speech
Marcel Fratzscher, Director, German Institute of Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Germany
14:30-16:00 Session 2
The Economic Root Causes and Determinants of Populism
Thiemo Fetzer, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Warwick, UK
Karl Aiginger, Professor of Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Evgenia Passari, Assistant Professor, Université Paris Dauphine, France
Coffee Break
16:15-17:30 Session 3
Roundtable Debate: What are the Policy Implications?
Steven Blockmans, Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
Heather Grabbe, Director, Open Society European Policy Institute, Brussels
Marcel Fratzscher, Director, German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Germany
László Andor, Secretary General, FEPS, Brussels
Daphne Halikiopoulou, Associate Professor, University of Reading, UK