The 38^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Italian Society of Public Economics will be dedicated to the relationship between taxation, citizens’ preferences and the legitimacy of public intervention. The ability of governments to respond to contemporary challenges – from demographic ageing to the ecological and digital transitions to geopolitical tensions – also depends on maintaining social consensus on the tax burden and its distribution. The erosion of this consensus, fuelled by perceptions of unfairness in tax systems and mistrust of institutions, raises questions about the factors that determine social acceptability of taxation.

It is therefore important to study both how taxation – encompassing income, consumption, and wealth taxes as well as social security contributions – and social spending are distributed among individuals, groups and territories, and how citizens perceive their fairness and legitimacy, and to assess their overall capacity to ensure cohesion, well-being, and fiscal sustainability.

The Scientific Committee of the Conference therefore invites theoretical and empirical contributions addressing these themes as well as broader issues in public economics and public finance, including:

• Citizens’ preferences, social acceptability and perception of fairness of public policies;
• Inequality, poverty, social inclusion, and intergenerational mobility;
• Taxation, taxpayer behaviour, and taxation of households and businesses;
• International taxation;
• Health, welfare, population ageing, and social security policies;
• Education and training throughout the life cycle;
• Labour market, employment policies, and gender inequality;
• Externalities and environmental policies;
• Quality of institutions, trust, and decision-making processes;
• Public finance, government spending, fiscal federalism, and multi-level taxation;
• Regulation and competition policies;
• Immigration and public finance.

Contributions falling within the broader sphere of economics and public finance are also welcome.

The conference will be held in Modena on September 10-11, 2026.

The keynote speaker will be Professor Antoine Bozio from the Paris School of Economics (https://www.parisschoolofeconomics.com/bozio-antoine/en/index.htm). Antoine Bozio is Chaired Professor at the Paris School of Economics, Full Professor at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) and Director of the Institut des politiques publiques (IPP). Since 2024, he has been co-editor of the Journal of Public Economics. His research focuses in particular on public economics, pension systems, taxation and the evaluation of social policies.

The conference will also feature a round table on the problems and prospects of the Italian tax system, with the participation of representatives from academia and institutions.

The Scientific Committee is coordinated by Massimo Baldini (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) and Marina Cavalieri (University of Catania). Other members include: Bianca Balsimelli Ghelli, Graziella Bertocchi, Monica Bozzano, Giovanni Gallo, Martina Griseri, Gianluca Monturano, Marcello Morciano, Fabrizio Patriarca, Laura Piluso, Edoardo Renato Piombini, Martina Salvarani, Edoardo Santoni, Silvia Scarpa, and Filippo Simeone.

The Scientific Committee will also benefit from the collaboration of: Silvia Balia (University of Cagliari), Sergio Beraldo (University of Naples Federico II), Luca Bonacini (University of Eastern Piedmont), Rinaldo Brau (University of Cagliari), Irene Brunetti (INAPP), Michela Collaro (University of Naples Federico II), Paolo Di Caro (MEF), Paolo Li Donni (University of Palermo), Matteo Lippi Bruni (University of Bologna), Irene Mammi (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice), Salvatore Morelli (Roma Tre University), Chiara Mussida (Catholic University), Flaviana Palmisano (Sapienza University of Rome), Giuseppe Pignataro (University of Bologna), Vincenzo Prete (University of Palermo), Emanuela Randon (University of Bologna), Simona Scabrosetti (University of Pavia), Dario Sciulli (University of Chieti-Pescara), Stefano Toso (University of Bologna), Francesca Zantomio (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice).

Submission Guidelines

Authors wishing to submit papers for the Conference may do so from February 16 until May 31, 2026, via the following EasyChair link:

https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=siep2026

Only complete articles accompanied by abstracts, JEL codes and keywords will be considered. The submission of a paper implies a commitment on the part of the presenter to act as discussant of another contribution in the same session.

The Scientific Committee will inform authors of the outcome of the selection process by June 21, 2026. All those wishing to participate in the Conference must register and pay the membership fee by July 5, 2026. Instructions for registration and payment of the participation fee will be available at the following link:

https://www.siepweb.it/siep/wp/en/en/xxxviii-siep-conference-2026/

PhD students, or those who have obtained their PhD after 1 January 2025, may participate in the conference by paying a reduced membership fee. To enjoy this benefit, in addition to registering on EasyChair, they must send a statement from their PhD coordinator or supervisor certifying their status to info@siepweb.it.

The provisional programme for the Conference will be available from July 19, 2026. The final versions of the papers must be submitted via the EasyChair link no later than August 30, 2026.

SIEP prize 2026

The 2026 edition of the SIEP Prize is open to authors under the age of 35 (a mandatory requirement for all authors of the submitted article) who undertake to present their work at the conference in Modena (a mandatory requirement for at least one author of the submitted article). Applications for the award must be submitted at the same time as the article for the Conference, and the award will be presented to the winner in person during the Conference. Detailed information on the application procedure is available at:

 https://www.siepweb.it/siep/wp/en/en/premio-siep/

Etta Chiuri Prize

The Conference will also host the Etta Chiuri Prize, reserved for economists under the age of 40 who submit a paper on topics related to household consumption decision-making, real estate market imperfections, and illegal immigration.

Detailed information on the prize and the application procedure is available at:

https://www.siepweb.it/siep/wp/en/en/premio-etta-chiuri/

SIEP members are invited to circulate this notice among colleagues who may be interested.

Further information on the Conference will be published on the SIEP website:

https://www.siepweb.it/siep/wp/en/en/xxxviii-siep-conference-2026/