BU Research Blog

The Bournemouth University Business School hosted the conference “Poland and Eurozone” on 19-20 September, 2013. The conference was the initiative of Professor Jens Hӧlscher, head of the department of Accounting, Finance and Economics of Bournemouth University (BU). 

The conference was opened by Professor Matthew Bennett, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at BU, who greeted the participants of the conference, wished them success and scientific achievements. He expressed the hope that the conference would provide a platform to discuss and address the relevant issues and to initiate new joint research projects.

Following a short welcoming speech by Professor Jens Hӧlscher, Professor Iraj Hashi from Staffordshire University was invited to briefly introduce Professor Leszek Balcerowicz’s biography to the participants of the conference. Professor Iraj Hashi highlighted that Professor Leszek Balcerowicz was the former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance of Poland and the chairman of the National Bank of Poland, who is particularly famous for implementing the Polish economic transformation program in the 1990s, a shock therapy, which is commonly referred to as the Balcerowicz Plan.

In his keynote presentation Professor Leszek Balcerowicz focused on the issues relevant to the Euro problems and their possible solutions. Following the presentation Professor Victoria Chick from University College London initiated the discussion on the Professor Leszek Balcerowicz’s presentation and challenged his views.

The second day of the conference started with the keynote presentation of Professor Domenico Mario Nuti from La Sapie nza University (Rome) on The Euro Area: Premature, Diminished, Divergent, which was followed by the lead discussant Professor Steve Letza from BU.

Then the chair Professor Jenny Piesse from BU opened Session One on Income Developments. The session started with an interesting presentation by Professor Andy Mullineux from Bournemouth University on The ‘Eurozone’ Crisis: Escaping the Doom Loop.’ The session was continued by the presentation of Professor Horst Tomann from Free University of Berlin on External Imbalances in the European Monetary Union: the Case for Keynesian Income Policy and was finished by the presentation of Dr George Filis and Professor Steve Letza from BU on Business Cycles Synchronisation between the European Union and Poland.

Following the buffet lunch, where the participants of the conference discussed the presentations Professor Allan Webster (BU) opened Session Two on Monetary Aspects. Rob Hayward form the University of Brighton and Jens Hӧlscher started the session with their presentation on Crash Risk and the Carry Trade: An Analysis of Uncovered Interest Parity in CEE and CIS. The session was continued by the Professor Karsten Staehr from Tallin University of Technology & Estonia Eesti Bank on Beating the Maastricht Price Stability Criterion to Join the Eurozone: Challenges and Options. Following the presentation by Zbigniew Polanski from National Bank of Poland on Poland During the Global Crisis: “A Green Island” approaching the Eurozone the chair of the session Professor Allan Webster announced to start the discussions on the presentations of Session Two.

Following a short coffee and tea break Professor Steve Letza opened Session Three on Firms’ Behaviour. Malgorzata Pawlowska from National Bank of Poland presented her research on the Impact of Foreign Capital on Competition and Concentration in the Polish Banking Sector. The second presentation of the session was given by Professor Tomasz Mickiewicz from Aston University, where he introduced his research on Is Poland A Nation of Entrepreneurs?

A conference Gala Dinner at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, was a pleasant completion of the conference. In an informal atmosphere participants continued to discuss various interesting issues raised during the conference, made contacts and thanked the organisers for the well-planned scientific event.

Written by,

Khurshid Djalilov, kdjalilov@bournemouth.ac.uk, member of EACES