Call for Papers : 2026 Franco-German Fiscal Policy Seminar

The annual seminar aims to bridge the gap between academic research and policy-making and is co-hosted with the French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.

This year’s topic is:

“Artificial Intelligence, Productivity and Public Finances”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely regarded as potentially one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st century. For fiscal policy, its implications are profound and multidimensional. AI has the potential to raise productivity and potential growth, reshape labour markets and alter the distribution of income and economic returns. On the revenue side, these effects would impact tax and social security bases, the composition of our tax revenues – including international tax revenue-sharing – and governments’ revenue-raising capacity. On the expenditure side, AI could increase structural adjustment pressures in labour markets, increase the pressure on the social security system and change the cost structure of public services, while also creating opportunities to improve the efficiency of public administrations. Overall, whether AI ultimately strengthens or weakens public finances will depend on the balance between aggregate productivity gains, labour market adjustments and the diffusion of the technology across firms and sectors.

Furthermore, AI poses a strategic challenge to economic sovereignty for Europe: the most advanced AI systems and large-scale computing infrastructure are currently concentrated outside the European Union. Limited access to or increased usage cost for the latest AI systems could lead to a loss of competitiveness in Europe and could reduce the share of the resulting economic rents and revenues. Closing Europe’s gap in research, computing infrastructure and energy supply in relation to the United States and China would require substantial capital as well as regulatory reforms, raising questions about the appropriate role of the state and possible consequences for EU member states’ public finances.

The aim of the 2026 Franco-German FPS is to present cutting-edge academic work that can contribute to a better understanding of this challenging economic transformation and to 1 inform policymakers about appropriate responses that safeguard economic welfare and maintain sustainable public finances. Featuring a policy panel and a keynote address, the FPS also aims to facilitate discussions and the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

We are especially interested in submissions covering topics that include, but are not limited to, the following issues:

• The productivity effects of AI, including their magnitude, timing and measurement; differences across firms, sectors and countries and their impact on public finances; scenario analyses and policy options to maintain sustainable public finances.
• The implications of AI for labour markets and its distributional impacts, including through changes in productivity, employment, task compositions, wage growth, working hours and the allocation of economic returns between labour and capital; its implications for the fiscal sustainability of the social security system, economic welfare and the allocation of taxing rights and tax revenues across jurisdictions.
• The geographical and sectoral concentration of AI-related economic activity and rents and its implications for Europe’s competitiveness and economic outlook; possible consequences for sovereign financing conditions in the euro zone.
• Public and private investment in AI-related infrastructure, including public-private partnerships (PPP), their effectiveness and appropriate division of responsibilities between governments and the private sector.
• The role of fiscal, tax, industrial and competition policy in supporting AI adoption and innovation aimed at strengthening European economic sovereignty, including the effectiveness and efficiency of subsidies, tax incentives and public-private risk sharing.

Both theoretical and empirical submissions are welcome.

We invite papers in English to be submitted by 9 October 2026 to: Franco-German-FPS@bmf.bund.de. Please use the subject line: “Submission for 2026 Franco-German Fiscal Policy Seminar”.

Authors of papers accepted by the Scientific Committee will be notified in early November. This year’s chair of the Scientific Committee will be Prof. Irene Bertschek from ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim / Justus Liebig University Giessen.

The travel and hotel expenses of invited speakers (one speaker per selected paper) will be covered by the German Federal Ministry of Finance, based on economy fares.