Call for papers: 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference

7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference

September 25-26, 2025, in London, United Kingdom | Submission by May 15th, 2025

We are pleased to announce the 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference, taking place in London, UK, on September 25-26, 2025. This annual conference brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss cutting-edge research on public finance of relevance for low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs).

We primarily focus on research related to L&MICs but also welcome relevant studies from high-income contexts. We invite submissions across all areas of public finance, including:

• Tax Policy and Administration
• Subsidies and Compensation/Wage Bill Reforms
• Political Economy of Fiscal Reforms
• Public Financial Management, Public Goods Provision, and Procurement
• Cash Transfers, Social Protection and other Poverty Alleviation, and Inequality Reduction Programs

We are pleased to feature the following keynote speakers:

• Tim Besley, School Professor of Economics and Political Science and W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics, London School of Economics.
• Annette Alstadsæter, Professor at the School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Format: The conference will take place in person in London, UK, with streaming available for non-presenting attendees. Presenters are expected to attend in person. The organizers will arrange economy-class travel for invited presenters.
Submission: We invite researchers from both academic and policy institutions to submit a paper (preferable) or an extended abstract of two or more pages by May 15, 2025, by uploading here. We highly encourage submissions that showcase collaborations between researchers and policymakers. The conference will feature a session in which policy makers present their research. We aim to notify the authors of selected papers by June.

Academic Committee: Laura Abramovsky, Pierre Bachas, Anne Brockmeyer, Rishabh Choudhary, Lucie Gadenne, Pablo Garriga, François Gerard, Hazel Granger, Jonas Hjort, Christopher Hoy, Justine Knebelmann, Kyle McNabb, Joana Naritomi, Marina Ngoma, Oyebola Okunogbe, David Phillips, Thiago Scot, Mahvish Shaukat, Dario Tortarolo, Yani Tyskerud, Ben Waltmann, Mazhar Waseem.

For more information, please visit the 2025 Public Finance Conference website.