Helmuth Cremer is Professor of Economics at the University of Toulouse and is a senior member of Institut universitaire de France where he holds the Chair of Public Economics. He is an editor of the Berkeley Electronic Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy and of the German Economic Review and an associate editor of several journals including the Journal of Public Economic Theory and the Journal of Public Economics. He was a member of the “Conseil Economique de La Nation”, (Council of Economic Advisers of the French Minister of Finance) 2005--2010. In his research, he studies the optimal design of redistributive policies (including taxes, social insurance, pensions and education). Another part of his research deals with issues of pricing, competition and public service in network industries and in particular in the postal sector. Helmuth Cremer joined IZA as a Research Fellow in February 2012.