Upcoming seminars:

23/09/2026

Mamadou Foune TOUNKARA - Who Gets Taxed, and How Much? The Spatial Dimensions of Taxation among Micro and Small Enterprises in Mali

PhD Supervision:  Fabrice DEFEVER | Research axis:  Economic and Financial Flows  | Discussant: Mikaël PASTERNAK

Abstract: Who gets taxed, and how much, may depend not only on what firms do, but also on whether the state can see and reach them. This paper studies the spatial dimensions of taxation among informal micro and small enterprises in Mali. We distinguish between the visibility of an economic activity—captured by the type and physical characteristics of its business premises—and its geographic proximity to tax and municipal authorities. Using nationally representative data covering urban and rural areas across Mali, we combine information on tax payments with geographic coordinates and detailed characteristics of business locations. We measure each enterprise’s distance to the nearest administrative office and examine its relationship with both the probability of paying taxes and the amount paid. To account for the local economic environment, we complement the survey with a nationwide census of more than 200,000 establishments, using their GPS coordinates to construct measures of surrounding business density. Our results reveal a systematic gradient in tax compliance according to business visibility: enterprises operating from fixed premises are more likely to pay taxes than less visible forms of activity, and this pattern is observed across different types of agglomerations. We further find that proximity to administrative institutions is systematically associated with tax compliance, even after accounting for observable firm characteristics, local business density, and agglomeration-level differences. The findings highlight geographic accessibility and the visibility of economic activity as potentially important dimensions of taxation in contexts where informality is widespread.

07/10/2026

David KURJAK - Green Power, Lower Prices? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis of Electricity Markets

Abstract: This study investigates whether renewable energy reduces wholesale electricity prices and whether the reported effects are affected by publication selection. We combine 123 estimates from 11 studies using meta-analysis and meta-regression. The published literature shows predominantly negative price effects. However, less precise estimates tend to report stronger price reductions. After correcting for funnel asymmetry, the average effect on the PCC scale is not statistically different from zero. In a complementary analysis using harmonized semi-elasticities, the corrected effect remains negative and statistically significant. We also find systematic differences across technologies and estimation methods. Wind generally shows a stronger price-reducing effect than solar PV. Overall, our results suggest that the magnitude of the merit-order effect varies substantially across studies and market settings.

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20/01/2027

10/02/2027

10/03/2027

07/04/2027

12/05/2027

09/06/2027

07/07/2027

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