The task of the Council is to assess the appropriateness of targets set for economic policy, the extent to which those targets have been met, the effectiveness of the policy measures employed, the coordination of various policy areas and how these tie in with other areas of public policy. The council weighs the success of economic policy with particular reference to economic growth and stability, employment and the long-term sustainability of public finances. In addition, the Council evaluates the quality of the forecasting and assessment methods used in the preparation of economic policy.
The Council’s main contribution is the publication of its annual report. As a rule, the Council does not comment on policy changes between reports on an ongoing basis, but councilors may participate in public debate by expressing their own views.
The Council’s assessments of economic policy are mainly based on the work and analysis done by the members of the Council and the secretary general. In addition, the Council draws on commissioned research and reports.
The Council is independent and composed of members of the academic community. Members of the Council are appointed by the Government based on a proposal by Finnish economics departments and the Academy of Finland.
The Council’s secretariat works within the VATT Institute for Economic Research, which also provides administrative support for the Council.
Niku Määttänen is a Professor of Macroeconomics at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics. His research interests include taxation, social security and housing policy.
niku.maattanen@helsinki.fi
+358 294128721
+358 415456721
Hilde C. Bjørnland is a Professor of Economics and the Provost for Research and Academic Resources at BI Norwegian Business School. She is also scientific advisor to Norges Bank. She was a member of the Swedish Fiscal Policy Council in 2014-2017. Her main research interests are business cycles, macroeconomic policy and time series.
Tuukka Saarimaa is an Associate Professor of Urban Economics at Aalto University and Helsinki GSE. Prior to joining Aalto, he worked as an Associate Research Professor at the VATT Institute for Economic Research. His research interests are housing and urban economics and local public finance.
tuukka.saarimaa@aalto.fi
+358504770776
Liisa Häikiö is Professor of Social Policy at Tampere University. Her research focuses on the steering of sustainability transformation from the perspective of people’s everyday lives and governance.
liisa.haikio@tuni.fi
+358503186095
Seija Ilmakunnas is a Professor of Practice of Economics at the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. She has worked as the director of the Labour Institute for Economic Research (now Labore) and as the director general of the Government Institute for Economic Research (now VATT).
jenni.jaakkola@vatt.fi
+358 29 551 9508
henri.keranen@vatt.fi
+358 50 435 8861