Suitable research topics include, but are not limited to:
- Electrification,
- Raising agricultural productivity,
- Industrialization,
- Increasing transportation infrastructure and regional connectedness,
- Gender inequality,
- Rural access to finance,
- Factors that influence the quality of life for African people.
The conference aims to explore the determinants of structural transformation and the impact of various policies on it. It will bring together researchers who offer a range of perspectives on the structural transformation underway in rural Africa, and will especially emphasize micro-scale evidence from households and firms.
Papers by researchers from Africa-based institutions, early career scholars, and from researchers from groups that are under-represented in the economics profession are especially encouraged.
Papers presented at the conference will be eligible for distribution through the NBER working paper series. Presenters will need to provide an executive summary of up to 1000 words prior to the conference. In keeping with the constraints that apply to all NBER research, papers and presentations may not include any policy recommendations or normative statements.
NBER will cover the hotel and economy class travel cost for one author per paper and will pay a modest honorarium to the authors of each paper selected for inclusion on the program. All co-authors are welcome to attend the conference; space permitting, other participants are also welcome.
The NBER Research Conference will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, from February 28 to March 1, 2019. It is made possible by the generous support of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Submission deadline: Thursday, November 1, 2018 at midnight (EDT)
Authors must provide a complete paper to be considered for the conference; abstracts will not be considered.
Papers must be submitted through the NBER website.
Decisions about which papers will be included on the program will be announced in early December, 2018.
Anyone interested in attending the meeting, but who does not have a paper to submit can register their interest online.
For information or questions about this call or the conference, please contact the NBER department at confer@nber.org.