International Studies Program

Featured Policy Researcher

Jenny Ligthart holds a chair in Macroeconomics at the Department of Economics of Tilburg University, the Netherlands. She is a Honorary Professor at the University of Groningen and a Senior Research Fellow at CentER (Tilburg University) and CESifo (University of Munich). Her research focuses on the macroeconomic repercussions of fiscal policy in an international context. In addition, she analyzes the economic and welfare effects of policy instruments aimed at addressing (international) tax evasion.

During 2002-2008, Jenny Ligthart was the Director of the Netherlands Network of Economics (NAKE), a graduate school in Economics in which six Dutch universities participate. Prior to joining Tilburg University, she worked for five years (1997-2002) at the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department in Washington DC, where she was involved in advising governments on fiscal matters. Presently, she is a member of the IMF's panel of fiscal experts and occasionally a consultant for the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research. She holds MA, MPhil, and PhD degrees in Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

EDUCATION

1997 Ph.D. in Economics, University of Amsterdam

Fall 1994 Visiting Scholar, Stanford University, Department of Economics

1994 M.Phil. in Economics (cum laude), Netherlands Network of

Economics (NAKE) and Tinbergen Institute

Fall 1991 Exchange Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

1991 M.Sc. in Economics (cum laude), University of Amsterdam

EMPLOYMENT RECORD

Current Positions

01/09–Present Visiting Professor, Georgia State University, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Department of Economics

01/08–Present Full Professor of Macroeconomics, Tilburg University, Department of Economics and CentER (on unpaid leave as of 01/09)

01/03–Present Honorary Professor of Quantitative Economics, University of Groningen, Department of Economics

Previous Positions

10/02–12/08 Full Professor of Quantitative Economics, Tilburg University, Department of Economics and CentER

10/02–12/08 Director, Netherlands Network

10/02–12/08 Director, Netherlands Network of Economics (NAKE), the Dutch national graduate school

12/02–12/07 Ministry of Finance Professor of Economics, Tilburg University, Department of Economics

10/99–09/02 Economist (Regular Staff), International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., Fiscal Affairs Department, Tax Policy Division

10/98–09/99 Economist Program (Tenure-Track Staff), International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., European I Department, Central II Division

09/97–09/98 Economist Program (Tenure-Track Staff), International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., Fiscal Affairs Department, Tax Policy Division

05/95–09/97 Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam, Department of Economics, International Economics Division

Spring 1996 Lecturer, University of Amsterdam, International Monetary Affairs, Amsterdam School of International Relations (ASIR)

01/92–05/95 Lecturer, University of Amsterdam, Department of Economics, Macroeconomics Division

Spring 1991 Internship, Dutch Central Bank, Balance of Payments Department

Editorial Positions

03/09– Co-Editor, FinanzArchiv (Public Finance Analysis)

10/02–12/08 Editor, Nake News

Professional Affiliations

01/06–Present Research Fellow, CESifo Research Network, Munich

10/02–Present Senior Research Fellow, CentER, Tilburg University

Other Professional Activities

03/08–Present Member of ad-hoc fiscal committee advising the Chair of the

Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands

02/08–07/08 Member selection committee of VIDI grants (Associate Professor level), Dutch National Science Foundation

11/06–Present Educational Coordinator Macro Track, CentER Graduate School, Tilburg University

06/03–Present Consultant, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Institute for Traffic Transport, Logistics, and Spatial Development

12/03–Present Board Member of the Royal Netherlands Economic Association

10/03–Present Supervisory Board Member of the National Academy for Finance and Economy, The Hague

06/03–07/07 Member of the Supervisory Board (“Central Planning Committee”) of the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB)

10/02–Present Member of the Panel of Fiscal Experts, Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund

12/99–10/01 Member of the International Advisory Group on Taxation (IAGT) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Short-Term Visiting Positions

European Central Bank (May 2007)

CESifo, University of Munich (October– November 2005)

World Bank (January 2005)

International Monetary Fund (April 2004 and March 2003)

Tilburg University, CentER (June 2001 and September 1996)

Groningen University (May 1999)

University College London (April 1996)

Teaching Experience

Tilburg University:

BA course on Growth and Development (2006–08)

MPhil course on Open Economy Macroeconomics (2005–08)

MPhil course on Dynamic Macroeconomics (2003–04)

BA course on International Economics (2002–03)

University of Amsterdam:

Graduate course on Trade and Monetary Theory (1995– 1997)

Graduate International Macroeconomics (1996); Graduate International Environmental Economics (1997)

MA Course on International Monetary Affairs (1996)

Intermediate and Graduate Macroeconomics (1992–1995)

International Monetary Fund:

Sections of the Public Finance Course for Country Officials (IMF Institute, 1997 and 1999–2002)

Other institutions:

Principles of Macroeconomics (Georgia State University, Spring 2009)

Sections of the course for Central American Central Bankers (Development Research Institute, IVO, June 2006)

Graduate Course on Macroeconomics and Fiscal Policy (University of Munich,Fall 2005)

Technical Assistance and IMF Country Work

Bosnia and Herzegovina (October 1999–October 2001, June 2004, March 2005)

Ethiopia (July 1998)

The Gambia (February 2002)

Georgia (November 1998);

Kenya (May 2002–September 2002)

Portugal (1999); Hungary (October 1998–October 1999)

Turkmenistan (October 1997–October 1998)

RESEARCH RECORD

Recent Academic Papers

[1] “Do Immigrant Networks Promote Outward Foreign Direct Investment? Evidence from the Netherlands” (with Dorothe Singer), 2009, mimeo, Tilburg University

[2] “The Determinants of Cross-Border Tax Information Sharing: A Panel Data Analysis” (with Johannes Voget), 2008, mimeo, Tilburg University. Paper presented at 2008 WZB conference

[3] “How Productive is Public Capital? A Meta-Analysis” (with Pedro Bom), 2008, CentER Discussion Paper No. 2008-10. Paper presented at the 2008 IIPF conference.

[4] “Currency Invoicing in International Trade: A Panel Data Approach” (with Jorge da Silva), 2007, CentER Discussion Paper No. 07-25, Tilburg University. Revise and resubmit, Journal of International Economics

[5] “Commodity Tax Competition Among Governments: An Empirical Analysis” (with Jan Jacobs and Hendrik Vrijburg), 2007, Revise (minor) and resubmit, International Tax and Public Finance

Publications in International Journals

[6] “The Transitional Dynamics of Fiscal Policy in Small Open Economies” (with Ben Heijdra), 2009, Macroeconomic Dynamics, forthcoming

[7] “Labor Tax Reform, Unemployment, and Search” (with Ben Heijdra), 2009, International Tax and Public Finance, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 82-104

[8] “Information Exchange under Non-Discriminatory Taxation” (with Michael Keen), 2007, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Vol. 109, No. 3, pp. 487-504

[9] “Information Exchange for Consumption Tax Purposes: An Empirical Exploration,” 2007, Information Economics and Policy, Vol. 19, No. 1 pp. 24- 42

[10] “Fiscal Policy, Monopolistic Competition, and Finite Lives” (with Ben Heijdra), 2007, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 325-359

[11] “The Macroeconomic Dynamics of Demographic Shocks” (with Ben Heijdra), 2006, Macroeconomic Dynamics, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 349-370

[12] “Incentives and Information Exchange in International Taxation” (with Michael Keen), 2006, International Tax and Public Finance, Vol. 13, No. 2/3, pp. 163-180

[13] “Environmental Quality, the Macroeconomy, and Intergenerational Distribution” (with Ben Heijdra and Jan Peter Kooiman), 2006, Resource and Energy Economics, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 74-104

[14] “Information Sharing and International Taxation: A Primer” (with Michael Keen), 2006, International Tax and Public Finance, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 81-110

[15] “Coordinating Tariff Reduction and Domestic Tax Reform Under Imperfect Competition” (with Michael Keen), 2005, Review of International Economics, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 385-390

[16] “Consumption Taxation in a Digital World: A Primer,” 2004, Canadian Tax Journal, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 1076-1101

[17] “Savings Taxation in the European Union: An Economic Perspective” (with Michael Keen), 2004, Tax Notes International, Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 539-546

[18] “The Point of Collection of Single-Stage Sales Tax in a Federal System,” 2003, Tax Notes International, Vol. 32, pp. 569-577

[19] “Coordinating Tariff Reductions and Domestic Tax Reform” (with Michael Keen), 2002, Journal of International Economics, Vol. 56, No. 2, pp. 407-425

[20] “The Hiring Subsidy Cum Firing Tax in a Search Model of Unemployment” (with Ben Heijdra), 2002, Economics Letters, Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 97-108

[21] “Public Capital and Output Growth in Portugal: An Empirical Analysis” 2002, European Review of Economics and Finance, Vol.1, No. 2, pp. 3-30

[22] “Tax Policy, Output, and Intergenerational Distribution” (with Ben Heijdra), 2002, IMF Staff Papers, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 106-127

[23] “Deposit-Refund on Labor: A Solution to Equilibrium Unemployment?” (with Ben Heijdra), 2001, IMF Staff Papers, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 593-609

[24] “The Dynamic Macroeconomic Effects of Tax Policy in an Overlapping Generations Model” (with Ben Heijdra), 2000, Oxford Economic Papers, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 677-701

[25] “Environmental Policy, Tax Incidence, and the Cost of Public Funds” (with Frederick van der Ploeg), 1999, Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 187-207

[26] “Fiscal Policy, Distortionary Taxation, and Direct Crowding Out under Monopolistic Competition” (with Ben Heijdra and Frederick van der Ploeg), 1998, Oxford Economic Papers, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 79-88

[27] “Keynesian Multipliers, Direct Crowding Out, and the Optimal Provision of Public Goods” (with Ben Heijdra), 1997, Journal of Macroeconomics, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 803-826

[28] “Pollution, the Cost of Public Funds, and Endogenous Growth” (with Frederick van der Ploeg), 1994, Economics Letters, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 351-361

[29] “Valuing Recreational King Mackerel Fishing: An Application of the Contingent Valuation Method,” 1993, Tinbergen Institute Research Bulletin, Vol. 5, pp. 15-28

Books and Contributions to Edited Volumes

[30] “Taxing Cross-Border Savings Income: An Economic Analysis of the EU Savings Tax,” 2007, in Read, C. and G.N. Gregoriou (eds), International Taxation (Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers)

[31] Environment, Imperfect Markets, and Public Finance, 1997, Tinbergen Institute Research Series No. 170 (Amsterdam: Thesis Publishers)

[32] “Optimal Government Policy, Tax Incidence, and the Environment” (with Frederick van der Ploeg), 1996, in Carraro, Carlo and Dominico Siniscalco (eds.), Environmental Taxation, Revenue Recycling and Unemployment (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Press)

[33] “Environmental Quality, Public Finance and Sustainable Growth” (with Frederick van der Ploeg), 1995, in Carraro, Carlo and Jerzey Filar (eds.), Game Theoretic and Control Models of the Environment (Boston: Birkhauser)

[34] “Sustainable Growth and Renewable Resources in the Global Economy” (with Frederick van der Ploeg), 1994, in Carraro, Carlo (ed.), Trade, Innovation, and Environment (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Press)

Publications in Refereed Dutch Academic Journals and Books

[35] “Belasten van kapitaalinkomen en globalisering” (with Ruud de Mooij), 2007, in C.L.J. Caminada, A.M. Haberham, J.H. Hoogteijling en H. Vording (red.), Belasting met beleid, Den Haag: Sdu, pp. 335-350

[36] “The Productivity of Public Capital: A Meta-Analysis” (with Rosa M. Martin Suarez), 2005, Conference Proceedings, Netherlands Regional Science Association, forthcoming

[37] “Het belasten van grensoverschrijdende spaartegoeden: inlichtingenuitwisseling of bronbelasting?” 2003, Maandschrift Economie, Vol. 67, pp. 315-333

[38] “SIMPC: Een kritische aanbeveling” (with Hans Amman and Pieter Prins), 1990, Kwantitatieve Methoden, Vol. 35, pp. 107-112

Work in Progress

[39] “A Meta-Analysis on the Output Elasticity of Public Capital: A Nonlinear Publication Bias Approach” (with Pedro Bom), 2008, mimeo, Tilburg University. Paper presented at the 2nd Annual conference of the Portuguese Economic Journal and Meta-Analysis workshop in Nancy

[40] “Dynamic Panel Data Models Featuring Spatially Correlated Errors and Endogenous Interaction: A Monte-Carlo Approach” (with Jan Jacobs and Hendrik Vrijburg)

[41] “Panel Data Models Featuring a Spatial Lag and Spatially Correlated Errors” (with Jan Jacobs and Hendrik Vrijburg)

[42] “Dealing with Dependency in Meta-Analysis: A GLS Approach Applied to the Output Elasticity of Public Capital” (with Pedro Bom)

[43] “Coordinated Consumption Tax and Tariff Reform: A Dynamic Approach” (with Ben Heijdra). Draft available soon

[44] “The Distributional Consequences of Coordinated Consumption Tax and Tariff Reform” (with Ben Heijdra and Gerard van der Meijden). Draft available soon

[45] “Intergenerational Distribution, Public Capital, and Output” (with Pedro Bom and Ben Heijdra)

[46] “Fiscal Policy in a Labor Market Search Model of a Small Open Economy” (with Ben Heijdra)

[47] “The Political Economy of Export Taxes” (with Manuel Oechslin)

[48] “The Determinants of Currency Invoicing in Norwegian International Trade” (with Sebastian Werner)

[49] “The EU Savings Tax” (with Sijbren Cnossen)

[50] “The Determinants of Tax Treaties: An Empirical Analysis” (with Johannes Voget)

[51] “The Determinants of Transfer Prices in Soccer: A Panel Data Analysis” (with Martin van Tuijl)

[52] “The Political Economy of the Flat Tax” (with Rick van der Ploeg).

[53] “The Impact of Foreign Ownership on Capital Taxation: Evidence from US States” (with Wolf Wagner)

Unpublished Working Papers

[54] “Optimal Fiscal Policy and the Environment,” IMF Working Paper No. 98/146 (Washington: International Monetary Fund)

[55] “The Macroeconomic Effects of Environmental Taxes: A Closer Look at the Feasibility of ‘Win-Win’ Outcomes,” IMF Working Paper No. 98/75, May 1998 (Washington: International Monetary Fund)

[56] “Environmental Tax Substitution: A Dynamic General Equilibrium Analysis for the U.S. Economy” (with Kerry Krutilla and Roy Boyd), presented at the 1998 World Congress of nvironmental and Resource Economists, Venice, June 25-27

Selected IMF Policy and Technical Assistance Reports

[57] “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Assessing the Distributional Impact of VAT,” (with Samsuddin Tareq and others), Technical Assistance Report, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, March 2005 (60 pages)

[58] “Bosnia and Herzegovina: A State Level VAT—Policy and Implementation Issues” (with Emil Sunley and others), Technical Assistance Report, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, August 2004 (80 pages)

[59] “The Gambia: A Program for Tax Reform” (with Emil Sunley and Lee Burns), Technical Assistance Report, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, February 2002 (87 pages)

[60] “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Toward a Value-Added Tax,” (with Russell Krelove, John Bristow, and Richard Fulford), Technical Assistance Report, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, February 2001 (108 pages)

[61] “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Taxation of Consumption and Inter-Entity Trade” (with Koen van der Heeden and Jim Walsh), Technical Assistance Report, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, February 2000 (53 pages)

[62] “Ethiopia: Liberalizing Trade and Improving the Tax System” (with Michael Keen and John Bristow), Technical Assistance Report, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, August 1998 (67 pages)

[63] Various chapters in Juan Jose Fernandez-Ansola et al., 2000, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Selected Issues, SM/00/37, February 2000 (all co-authored with Jun Ma): “The Size and Structure of Public Finance” (Chapter 4); “Fiscal Sustainability: Current Policies” (Chapter 5); “Fiscal Sustainability: Medium-Term Adjustment” (Chapter 6); and “Social Insurance and Social Assistance Programs” (Chapter 7)

[64] “Tax Reform in Hungary” in Craig Beaumont et al., 1999, “Hungary: Selected Issues,” IMF Staff Country Report No. 99/27

[65] “Hungary: Operational Aspects of Medium-Term Expenditure Budgeting” (with Max Watson and Cristina Daseking), mimeo, IMF, May 1999

[66] “Turkmenistan: Public Finance,” in Emine Gürgen et al., 1998, Turkmenistan: Recent Economic Developments, IMF Staff Country Report No. 98/81

Unpublished Academic and Policy Reports (in Dutch)

[67] “Imago-onderzoek ministerie van Financiën: In het kader van de door het ministerie van Financiën gesponsorde leerstoel aan de Faculteit Economie en Bedrijfswetenschappen van de Universiteit van Tilburg” (with Gerard van derMeijden), 2007, Tilburg University

[68] “Imago-onderzoek ministerie van Financiën: In het kader van de door het ministerie van Financiën gesponsorde leerstoel aan de Faculteit Economie en Bedrijfswetenschappen van de Universiteit van Tilburg” (with Jan Bolle), 2004, Tilburg University

[69] “De maatschappelijke betekenis van doorvoer (with Kuipers and others), 2003, TNO INRO rapport 2003-36, Delft (“The Societal Impact of Re-Export Trade”)

[70] “De determinanten van de keuze van de factureringsvaluta in de international goederenhandel,” 1991, M.A. thesis, University of Amsterdam (“The Choice of Invoicing Currency in International Goods Trade”)

[71] “De determinanten van de keuze van de factureringsvaluta in de Nederlandse goederenhandel,” 1991, bbal/SA/FO/1101, Balance of Payments Department, Dutch Central Bank, May 1991 (“The Determinants of the Choice of Invoicing Currency in International Goods Trade”)

Contributions to Magazines in Economics

[72] “Prijsvorming op de voetbaltransfermarkt,” Aelementair, Vol. 6, March 2007, pp. 20-23

[73] “Trade Liberalization Under Fire?”Aelementair, Vol. 4, January 2005, p. 13

[74] “Taxing Cross-Border Savings Income in a Globalizing World,” 2004, Defacto, Vol. 18, pp. 36-39

[75] “Ministry of Finance Sponsors Chair at Tilburg University,” VITE Bulletin, Vol. 26, p. 22-23

[76] “Professor Jenny Ligthart,” CentERpoint, Vol. 12, pp. 6-8

OTHER ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

Referee for:

Canadian Journal of Economics, Economica, Economic Journal, Economics Letters, Environment and Development Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, European Journal of Political Economy, FinanzArchiv, International Tax and Public Finance, German Economic Review, Journal of Economics and Business, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Macroeconomics, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Public Economic Theory, National Tax Journal, Oxford Economic Papers, Review of Economics and Statistics, Review of International Economics, Resource and Energy Economics, World Development, and CESifo books

Member of the program committee of: (i) 65th IIPF conference (in 2009); and (ii) 62^nd IIPF conference (in 2006)

Chair of the scientific committee and organizer of the Annual NAKE Research Conference (2002-2008)

Organizer of one-week workshops for Ph.D. students (2002-2008)

Organizer of Annual Studium Generale Economics Workshop (2002-04)

Organizer Young-KVS debating competition (2003-Present)

Member of the search committee for: (i) Arie Kapteyn Chair (Tilburg University, January 2004); (ii) tenure-track faculty (Tilburg University, October-February 2004; October-February 2003,); and (ii) Ph.D. students (University of Amsterdam, June 1993, May 1996)

Software manager of the Department of Economics, University of Amsterdam (1992- 1994)

HONORS AND GRANTS

Dutch National Science Foundation, Ph.D. grant on “Tax Competition and Tax Evasion in a Multi-Jurisdictional World (with Lans Bovenberg), February 2004

Herman Karel Nieuwenhuis Prize awarded for the best M.Sc. thesis of 1991

Profiled in: 21st Edition of Marquis Who’s Who in the World; 56th and 57th Edition of

Marquis Who's Who in America; 23rd Edition of Marquis Who's Who of American Women; 7th Edition of Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Economic Association

International Institute of Public Finance

National Tax Association