The Consilium Policy Advisors Group is a nonprofit private organisation.
Our mission is to conduct in-depth research in order to shape ideas and emerging problems into economic policy issues and support quality economic policy debate in Romania.
We aim to serve as an informed and independent voice in economic policy debates. We intend to provide a constructive forum for the exchange of ideas and information between key stakeholders in the economic policy formulation process. We wish to facilitate public understanding of domestic and international economic policy issues.
Laurian Lungu
Co-Founder of CPAG
Laurian Lungu holds a PhD in Economics from Cardiff University, a MA in Economics from University of Liverpool and a MBA degree from the Canadian MBA Programme in Bucharest. Previously, he worked in academia, teaching courses in Macroeconomics and Mathematical Methods for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Cardiff University’s Economics department. His areas of expertise are in the fields of macroeconomic forecasting, policy modelling, international finance and energy. He is the author of a number of articles and analyses published in internationally renowned professional journals and books. He has been an economic adviser for more than 10 years.
Ella Viktoria Kállai
Co-Founder of CPAG
Ella Viktoria Kállai is Chief Economist at Alpha Bank Romania since 2006 and works in the bank since 2001. Previously she was a research fellow in the Economics Institute of the Academy of Science from Prague, Université de Paris 1, Center for Integration Studies Bonn and Institute for Computer Technique Cluj. She obtained her PhDs in Economics from Université de Paris 1, Pantheone-Sorbonne in July 2000, from Charles University Prague and State University of New York in December 2000. She also has a MA in Mathematics from Babes Bolyai University Cluj and a MA in Economics from Academy of Economics Studies Bucharest. Her main research interests are growth theories, labour markets and human capital, fiscal policy, monetary and financial issues.
Patrick Minford
Distinguished Non-resident Fellow
Patrick Minford is a macroeconomist who holds the chair of Applied Economics at Cardiff University where he directs the Julian Hodge Institute of Applied Macroeconomics. Before academic life he was an economic adviser to Her Majesty’s Treasury’s External Division and editor of the National Institute Review. From 1976 to 1997, he was the Edward Gonner Professor of Applied Economics at Liverpool University where he founded and directed the Liverpool Research Group in Macroeconomics; this built the ‘Liverpool Model’ of the UK, which was influential in forecasting and policy analysis during the 1980s. He was a member of Monopolies and Mergers Commission 1990-96; and one of the H M Treasury’s Panel of Forecasters (‘6 Wise Men’) January 1993-December 1996. He was made a C.B.E. for services to economics in 1996. His economic interests include monetary, trade, labour market and macro economics and modelling. More information can be found on his webpage at www.patrickminford.net
David Meenagh
Non-resident Fellow
David is currently a lecturer in economics at Cardiff Business School. He holds a MSc from Liverpool University and a PhD from Cardiff University. His interests are in macroeconomic modelling, applied research, monetary policy, international finance. He has published extensively in top economic journals.
Vo Phuong Mai Le
Non-resident Fellow
Mai is currently a senior lecturer at Cardiff Business School. Before joining Cardiff Economics Department in August 2014, Mai held lectureship positions in Economics at the University of Sheffield and Swansea University.
Her interests are in macroeconomic modelling, monetary policy, international finance.
Ruthira Naraidoo
Non-resident Fellow
Ruthira Naraidoo is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Pretoria. He completed his Ph.D. in 2004 from the Department of Economics at Cardiff University. He held lecturer positions in economics at the Department of Economics, Keele University and at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo. Previosuly, he secured his BSc (Honours) degree from University of Mauritius and an MSc degree from Cardiff University. His research interests are in the areas of applied macroeconomic theory and policy with a focus on macro models of business cycles in the nexus of financial markets, commodity markets, monetary and fiscal policy. He also works on time series econometrics. He has published extensively in both international and domestic journals.
Vlad Bulai
Research Assistant
Vlad Bulai has more than five years of experience in the energy industry and is currently a PhD student at Bucharest University of Economic Studies in the economics and international affairs field. He has a bachelor’s degree in international business and economics and a master’s degree in international project management.