9th Urbanisation and Development Conference

African countries are urbanising at faster rates than any other region in history. This offers an important opportunity for growth and development. By bringing people and firms together, cities enable industrialisation, the sharing of ideas and innovation, and opportunities for trade. Cities also offer the promise of access to critical goods and services, and in the face of the climate crisis, they play an important role in adaptation and mitigation. However, if the downsides of density are not managed well, this can result in congestion, pollution, and the exacerbation of poverty. 

The 9th Urbanisation and Poverty Reduction Research Conference is the first iteration of the conference with a regional focus on Africa. It will bring together academics, development practitioners, and urban policy makers to present and discuss questions relating to how research in the growing field of urban economics can help inform difficult policy decisions and the allocation of scarce resources to build productive, liveable, and sustainable cities in Africa. 

The continent can learn from global experience, but effective solutions will also require exploring the unique and varied local realities. Themes will include measuring urban economies and their contributions to growth, as well as how to enhance the benefits of cities through effective land and housing markets, public transport provision, and local service delivery in African cities. The conference welcomes all stakeholders working on city issues to understand which new ideas, methods, and collaborations can bring about the necessary change for urbanisation to lead to prosperity.

There are no associated conference fees and food will be provided.

For the second year we are running an international call for papers to promote engagement with a diverse range of economics scholars across the world. 

We are interested in working papers that (1) utilise economic methods, (2) focus on African cities, and (3) look at issues of agglomeration and urban labour markets, land use, housing, transport, water and sanitation, waste management, municipal finance, municipal governance, crime, sustainability and climate adaptation. These papers should be at an advanced stage for presentation and questions. Although priority will be given to papers on African cities, the selection committee will consider papers focused outside of Africa, if deemed to align sufficiently with the conference’s themes.

Select young scholars will be chosen to partake in the Young Urban Economist Workshop and will receive feedback on their papers from one of our academic keynotes—Professor Matt Turner, Associate Professor Kelsey Jack or Professor Ed Glaeser. These scholars will be eligible to receive funding for travel and accommodation. Application will happen automatically, so please submit as normal. 

The deadline for the submission of papers is 8th November 2024, 23:59 GMT. No late submissions will be accepted.

Conference registration will open in January 2025 through the World Bank's website. Conference participation will be in person, with live streaming of select key panel discussions.

Inquiries

For the call for papers:
[email protected]

For conference attendance and registration:
[email protected]