Call for papers: Conference of the Private Sector Development Research Network

This annual conference on 12-13 December 2019 in Geneva offers an opportunity to bring together staff of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and donor agencies involved in private sector development, with academics who study private firms and markets from the fields of economics (such as industrial organisation, international trade and investment), finance, business, and development studies. It aims to provide a forum to present and discuss new evidence, data, analysis, and set the agenda for future research relevant to development institutions as a basis for collaboration. The conference is intended for researchers who are interested in influencing practice and who are curious about how practitioners perceive the problems that they face, and for practitioners who want to learn from researchers.

The event focuses primarily on the actions and behaviors of private firms, investors and markets rather than on government policy. It is differentiated from other conferences because of the markets it aims to focus (low and lower-middle income countries), but also the institutions it aims to engage in dialogue (DFIs, think tanks and universities with an active and applied research agenda on private sector development). However, insights for policy and regulation of markets and firms are within scope.

This year's inaugural conference focuses on Private Enterprise and Inclusion.

Call for papers

Papers (even in draft format) should be submitted as PDF files to Bettina Santos [email protected] by 1 September 2019. Accepted authors will be notified by 22 September 2019. When submitting a paper, please specify if you need funding to attend the conference.

The topics of this year's conference and submission guidelines are outlined in the document attached below. If you have any questions, please contact Bettina Santos at [email protected].

You can register to attend the conference here.