The Economic policy council was established in 2014 to evaluate the effect of fiscal policy decision in the fields of economic growth, stability, employment, and long-term sustainability of public finances.
The council aims to improve and monitor the goals and methods of economic policy in Finland. It is an important and independent participant in the discussions on economic issues and contributes to discussions with their expertise, regardless of political position. The council´s goal is to improve the quality of economic policy decision-making in Finland.
One of their main contributions, is the annual evaluation of whether the fiscal policy is compatible with the long-term economic goals, in a sustainability perspective.
The panel consists of five members, all of them appointed by the Finnish government based on proposals from the economics departments of universities in Finland and the Academy of Finland.
- It is an important prerequisite for the credibility of the fiscal policy that it is regularly assessed by independent experts. It is the community´s resources that are managed. I have experience with this kind of work after serving on the Swedish Economic Policy Council, and I see the benefit of bringing in an independent perspective to the discussion. These councils consist of highly competent researchers and it is therefore also very rewarding to contribute to these discussions on a professional level, says Bjørnland.
Hilde C. Bjørnland is a Professor and Provost at BI Norwegian Business School. She is also a scientific advisor in the research department of Norges Bank.
Other members of the council include:
- Professor Jouko Vilmunen (chair)
- Professor Seija Ilmakunnas
- Professor Johanna Niemi
- Professor Jukka Pirttilä