Our journal is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Born in 1976 under the name of Financijska praksa and published in Croatian, it came of age in 1995, when it was renamed Financijska teorija i praksa. From 2005 it was published in both Croatian and in English, and since 2010 has appeared only in English as Financial Theory and Practice. Now, in 2016, having reached full maturity, it is time for a new name – Public Sector Economics.

But it is not only the name that has changed; the contents have also evolved in line with the Croatian political and economic context and the state of integration of Croatian researchers into the worldwide academic community. In its early days, the journal was focused on the public finances of Yugoslavia, particularly on technical issues of the tax and public finance systems of the day. Our readership was spread throughout the former country and included members of academia and public servants in the then numerous republics, regions and municipalities.

After the collapse of Yugoslavia and the establishment of Croatia, the journal adapted to the new circumstances – the transition from the socialist to a more market-oriented system and, subsequently, preparations for EU accession. For some years it was published simultaneously in Croatian and English, until publication in Croatian was discontinued. Reflecting the circumstances, papers on wider variety of topics began to be published. Most were still largely from the field of public sector economics, but many also addressed a broader set of issues such as transition to a market economy, the role of institutions, economic growth and development and EU integration. Articles were related, but not limited, to the experience of countries in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe. More and more readers came from the international academia and less and less from the domestic public administration.

Since the transition has been more or less completed, and bearing in mind the main research activities of the publisher of the journal – the Institute of Public Finance – we would like to encourage and publish high quality research on a broad range of topics within the field of public economics and thereby help raise the professional profile of this field of inquiry. We seek theoretical, empirical and policy-oriented contributions analysing the role and functioning of the public sector at macroeconomic, sectoral and microeconomic levels, in both advanced and emerging market economies. We also aim to provide a professional forum for the discussion of contemporary public policy issues and actively seek survey papers, appraisals of current policy debates, shorter notes and book reviews.

These aims are reflected in yet another change of the name of the journal, to Public Sector Economics. While our articles are mainly aimed at the international academic community, as in the past we would also like to attract professionals engaged with public administration and public institutions, in both advanced and emerging market economies, international organizations and various professional associations. Under its new name the journal is committed to diverse and rigorous scholarship and encourages a writing style understandable to a wide professional audience. The qualities looked for in submissions are, in particular, analytical rigour and creativity.