Foreword

The XXXI International Congress of Applied Economics, ASEPELT 2017, took place in Lisbon, from 5 to 8 July, 2017. The organization was the responsibility of ISEG/UL (Lisboa School of Economics & Management - University of Lisbon) that went on working to offer a stimulating scientific and social program for the Congress.The theme of the Congress -Real Economy and Finance- had, as main objective, to stimulate the debate around the problematic of Crisis and Globalization, and its effects on the World/European economies (and, especially, in the Iberian countries). The impacts that these phenomena have brought to the so-called real economy and the process of “financialization” of the economy (and related risks) that has been associated with it, the possible responses to the crisis and the promotion of a new development model, were at the center of the debates.Particular attention to the issues of applied economics and of the methodologies and techniques of analysis of economic and business information was also in our objectives.At the same time it was proposed to the Organizing Committee to integrate the number of September Of ESTUDIOS DE ECONOMIA APLICADA review with a related “monográfico” that would be composed of papers both presented at the conference or coming directly to the review, following a specific call for papers. The Theme should be related with the central purpose of the ASEPELT 2017, even if different and specific.