I am pleased to invite members of the International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF), as well as everyone else interested in Public Finance, to attend the 67^th Annual Congress of the IIPF, which will be hosted by the Office of Tax Policy Research at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

First established in 1817, the University of Michigan is rich in history, academic excellence, and leadership.  The heart of Michigan's success resides in our dedicated staff, robust student body, and outstanding faculty members.  The quality, breadth, and depth of this University's intellectual resources create a remarkable community of scholars — from our national leadership in the social sciences, medicine, engineering, law, and business to our community's robust cultural offerings.

The theme of the Congress, "Rethinking the Role of the State: Responses to Recent Challenges," is extremely topical.  Under the chairmanship of Professor Ruud de Mooij, an excellent scientific committee will ensure that the scholarly content of the papers to be presented lives up to the high standards that the IIPF is known for.  We look forward to a series of plenary lectures bringing new interesting insights to the topic.

While the theme of the Congress is "Rethinking the Role of the State: Responses to Recent Challenges," papers on topics within the field of Public Economics are being considered, as is traditional at IIPF Congresses.

We will be pleased to welcome you to Ann Arbor in August 2011.

On behalf of the local organizing committee,

Joel Slemrod, Paul W. McCracken Collegiate Chair of Business Economics and Public Policy, Professor of Economics, and Director, Office of Tax Policy Research