Political Biases in EU Spending: Mechanisms, Extent and Counter-Measures

This project continues ZEW’s line of research on EU fiscal institutions. The focus is on documenting potential political biases in existing and newly created European instruments as well as on studying their implications. The three work packages cover the interconnectedness of European institutions with the private sector, the effectiveness of spending conditionality, and the role of budgetary transparency and contingent liabilities. In terms of policy relevance, this analysis will contribute to a better understanding of the types of institutional safeguards that effectively foster the efficiency, impartiality and transparency of EU spending. Strategically, the project builds on international collaborations established in past SEEK activities, and further increases ZEW’s visibility in the debate on the future of the European Fiscal Union.

Duration: January 2019 – December 2020

Internal members, ZEW – Leibniz-Centre for European Economic Research, Mannheim:

• Dr. Zareh Asatryan, ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”
• Dr. Albrecht Bohne, ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”
• Annika Havlik, ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”
• Prof. Dr. Friedrich Heinemann, ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”
• Dr. Karolin Kirschenmann, ZEW Research Department „International Finance and Financial Management”
• Justus Nover, ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”

External members:

• Xavier Debrun, PhD (Belgium)
• Christophe Destais, CEPII (France)
• Prof. Benny Geys, PhD, BI Norwegian Business School (Norway)
• Prof. Thomas Stratmann, PhD, George Mason University (USA)
• Prof. Ulrich Wagner, PhD, University of Mannheim