The National Treasury and Economic Research Southern Africa invite you to attend an initiating meeting of an ERSA public economics research group. With a view to promoting research in public economics and public finance and to encourage engagement between economists working in academic or research institutions and policy advisors or analysts, the ERSA Academic Board has agreed to support a Public Economics research programme. An initiating meeting will bring together researchers and advisors from government, academia and development institutions, to discuss possible focus areas and a work programme for the period ahead. The meeting is timed to overlap with the International Institute of Public Finance conference to be held in Cape Town in August 2009, and the workshop programme will include discussion of experience in other countries in strengthening linkages between researchers and practitioners.