On October 19, 2017, ASE’s bimonthly Academic Research Seminar was hosted by Professor Romain Houssa (University of Namur). Professor Houssa also serves as the Academic Coordinator of Belgian Financial Research Group on Financing for Development (BeFind), and is a current ASE visiting professor teaching ‘International Economics’.

Professor Houssa presented “Domestic Resource Mobilization and Economic Development: VAT and Institutional Quality’’, a joint collaboration between himself and researchers from the BeFind network. In the presentation, he underlined that developing countries must improve their domestic revenue mobilization (DRM) to close their huge financing gaps. This outcome can be achieved through the effective application of the Value-Added-Tax (VAT), a critical tax instrument that has improved tax revenue collection in many countries. Professor Houssa also stressed the quality of institutions in enhancing DRM, calling their roles “catalytic”. The presentation concluded with a photo and question-and-answer session, where students took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Professor Houssa’s past and ongoing research.