CONFERENCE
Speakers:
Ilze Viņķele, Minister of Welfare
Ilze Viņķele is the Minister of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia since 2011. Prior to that, she served as Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. She was a Member of the Commission of Social and Work Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Special Affairs of Implementation of the EU Funds. She is a member of the political party Vienotiba (Unity).
Edward Hugh, Board Member, Catalunya Caixa
Edward Hugh is an independent macro economist, who specializes in growth and productivity theory, with particular emphasis on demographic processes and migration flows, and the impact of these on macroeconomic performance. Based in Barcelona, he is an active member of the Catalan economics community.
Mihails Hazans, Professor, University of Latvia
Mihails Hazans is a Professor of Econometrics at the University of Latvia and a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn). His research
deals with labor markets issues in the Baltic countries and other European countries. He has served as an expert, consultant or principal investigator on numerous issues including migration, commuting, economics of education, labor
supply, unemployment, active labor market policies and informal employment
for OECD, World Bank, USAID, European Commission, ILO, Global Development Network, European Agency for Reconstruction, European Training Foundation, European Trade Union Institute, as well as for various national institutions.
Moderator
Morten Hansen, Head of Economics Department, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga
Morten Hansen is Head of the Economics Department at SSE Riga, Research Associate at BICEPS and Research Fellow at the Center for European and Transition Studies (CETS) at University of Latvia. He was formerly with EuroFaculty and has resided in Latvia since 1994. He holds an MSc in Economics from Aarhus University, Denmark.
Recognized experts on the topic will discuss:
Ilze Viņķele, Minister of Welfare
Ilze Viņķele is the Minister of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia since 2011. Prior to that, she served as Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. She was a Member of the Commission of Social and Work Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Special Affairs of Implementation of the EU Funds. She is a member of the political party Vienotiba (Unity).
Edward Hugh, Board Member, Catalunya Caixa
Edward Hugh is an independent macro economist, who specializes in growth and productivity theory, with particular emphasis on demographic processes and migration flows, and the impact of these on macroeconomic performance. Based in Barcelona, he is an active member of the Catalan economics community.
Mihails Hazans, Professor, University of Latvia
Mihails Hazans is a Professor of Econometrics at the University of Latvia and a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn). His research
deals with labor markets issues in the Baltic countries and other European countries. He has served as an expert, consultant or principal investigator on numerous issues including migration, commuting, economics of education, labor
supply, unemployment, active labor market policies and informal employment
for OECD, World Bank, USAID, European Commission, ILO, Global Development Network, European Agency for Reconstruction, European Training Foundation, European Trade Union Institute, as well as for various national institutions.
Moderator
Morten Hansen, Head of Economics Department, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga
Morten Hansen is Head of the Economics Department at SSE Riga, Research Associate at BICEPS and Research Fellow at the Center for European and Transition Studies (CETS) at University of Latvia. He was formerly with EuroFaculty and has resided in Latvia since 1994. He holds an MSc in Economics from Aarhus University, Denmark.
Recognized experts on the topic will discuss:
- Coping with a massive exodus: how does the population movement affect the economic path of a country?
- Can a more liberal immigration policy help solve labor shortages and enhance productivity?
- How sustainable is the current welfare system? Will there be enough people of working age to support the growing number of dependents?
- What social, economic and policy reforms should be undertaken to adequately respond to the demographic challenges and achieve sustained economic growth? What role should be taken on by the state, by the private sector and by each individual?
- How to manage business in the new circumstances?