The Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), welcomed Prof. James Alm from Tulane University, United States, as a visiting professor in October 2026.
His visit, themed “Behavioral Perspectives on Public Policy: Tax Compliance, Fiscal Decentralization, and Experimental Economics,” was part of FEB UGM’s efforts to strengthen the academic and research capacities of students and faculty members and to foster long-term research collaboration.
“The presence of Prof. James Alm provides an opportunity for students and faculty members to engage directly with an expert in public economics. We hope this series of activities will deepen their understanding of public economics, particularly taxation, fiscal policy, and experimental methods in economic research,” explained Wisnu Setiadi Nugroho, Ph.D., Secretary of the Department of Economics at FEB UGM.
Wisnu emphasized that the visiting professor program represents a strategic initiative by the Department of Economics at FEB UGM to strengthen academic collaboration and explore opportunities for long-term research partnerships with Tulane University, particularly in taxation and fiscal policy studies relevant to the Indonesian context.
“Moving forward, we hope the discussions and research outcomes will provide valuable insights for the development of fiscal policies in Indonesia, particularly in tax administration and regional fiscal autonomy,” he added.
Prof. James Alm’s series of activities began on October 8, 2026, with an internal research discussion and luncheon with FEB UGM faculty members. The program continued on October 9 with the Mini Experimental Workshop: How to Do Valid Laboratory Experiments, primarily intended for doctoral students and early-career faculty members. The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to explore rigorous laboratory experimental methods in economic research.
On October 13, Prof. James Alm shared his perspectives on the relationship between economics and public policymaking through an FEB UGM Podcast episode titled “Is Economics Useful for Public Policy?” The discussion highlighted the relevance of economics in understanding and addressing various public policy challenges.
Academic engagement continued through guest lectures and research capacity-building activities. On October 19 and 22, Prof. James Alm delivered guest lectures on tax compliance to students enrolled in Public Economics II in both the regular and international undergraduate programs. These lectures allowed students to deepen their understanding of tax compliance from a public economics perspective.
On October 20, Prof. James Alm also shared his research experience and approaches during a session titled “How to Do Research,” attended by faculty members, students of the Master of Development Economics (MEc.Dev) program, and doctoral students.
Meanwhile, the issue of distributional justice took center stage in a seminar titled “Do We Have the Tools for Achieving Distributional Justice?” held on October 23. The seminar broadened the discussion of public economics by exploring the instruments and approaches available to promote distributional justice.
The guest lecture series continued on October 26 with a session examining the impacts of taxation, including its effects on prices and incentives, behavior, tax burden distribution, efficiency, and revenue adequacy. The discussion connected these various consequences of taxation to provide a comprehensive understanding of how tax systems can be designed to be efficient, equitable, and capable of generating adequate revenue.
To conclude the series, Prof. James Alm was scheduled to speak at a seminar and guest lecture titled “Increasing Tax Collections by Local Governments in Developing Countries by Improving Tax Compliance: Evidence from Controlled Field Experiments” on October 29, 2026. Held at the Djarum Auditorium, the event was set to explore strategies for increasing local government tax revenues in developing countries by improving taxpayer compliance, drawing on evidence from controlled field experiments.
Reporter: Shofi Hawa Anjani
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptingrum
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