Fourth SEEK Annual Conference "Public Finance and Income Distribution in Europe" at ZEW

Fiscal policy and public debt, income and wealth inequality in Europe, the prospects for a European fiscal union – these topics are at the heart of current academic and policy debates against the backdrop of the euro crisis. The fourth annual conference of the SEEK (Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies) research programme at ZEW on May 15 and 16, 2014, will address these issues. Professor Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics, will deliver a keynote speech on May 16, 11:30 a.m. Piketty’s book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" has jumped onto the New York Times bestseller list and is the current No. 1 on Amazon in the US. In his keynote, Piketty will discuss his book, in which he issues a warning about the growing gulf between rich and poor. Professor Andreas Peichl, head of ZEW's Research Group "International Distribution and Redistribution", will host the subsequent discussion.