I was appointed the President of the International Society of Public Economics

■I was appointed the President of the International Society of Public Economics

I was elected as the President of International Society of Public Economics.

The International Society of Public Economics was founded in 1986 as the Japanese branch of CIRIEC, which is headquartered in Liège, Belgium and has branches in 13 countries around the world.

http://ciriec.com/

It started in Europe, so much of their research has apparently been on traditional infrastructure sectors such as transportation and waterworks, but since I am involved, I would like to put effort into fields such as ICT and intellectual property.

I will work so that academic movements on economics relating to digital technology and data become the focus of this society.

I commented as follows during the election for President.

I have been involved in fields closely related to international public economics, but I did not have a very deep relationship with the society.

Electing me as President despite that is likely due to a determination that this organization cannot survive simply by continuing past actions.

As the state of the world changes due to the coronavirus, it has become clear that we are losing the digital battle, and every genre requires new actions. This society is no exception.

I understand that what is expected of me is to bring a breath of fresh air. This means revitalization of the society through responses in new fields such as digital technology and participation of younger generations.

The younger generations should undertake management, so my understanding is that my role is to act as a bridge to them.

I would like to take action based on three pillars: new responses in the digital field, inviting the younger generations to participate, and strengthening international response; however, I am very much a greenhorn so I want to proceed by listening carefully to everyone’s opinions.