The 16th Annual Conference of the Economic Research Forum (ERF) will be held in Cairo, Egypt 7 - 9 November, 2009.  The organizing committee is pleased to invite submissions of proposals according to the outline given below. Invitees are researchers conducting research on the ERF region (the Arab countries, Iran and Turkey), whether they are affiliates of ERF or not. No submissions will be accepted of papers already published or papers accepted for publication. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 22nd, 2009.

An honorarium of $2,000 will be paid for selected papers, of which $1,000 can be claimed within two years provided the paper is accepted in a refereed journal. In addition, ERF will cover the cost of travel and lodging in Sanaa for one presenter of each paper. Five papers will be selected by the refereeing committees, one per theme, for the “Best Paper Award”. The winning papers are evaluated on the basis of their contribution to knowledge about the region, rigor and policy relevance. The Awards will be announced at the Closing Plenary of the conference and each paper will receive an extra $1,000. In addition, the editors of the ERF journal (Middle East Development Journal, MEDJ)   will select worthy papers for possible inclusion in the Journal after subjecting them to the normal refereeing process.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
Like previous ERF annual conferences, the 16th Annual Conference provides a unique opportunity for researchers from the region to interact with one another and with international experts. It also provides a venue for the presentation of multiple research papers, both in the plenary and parallel sessions, followed by stimulating discussions and feedback. In addition, the conference features selected research projects and celebrates excellence in research.

MAIN THEME AND SUB-THEMES
The theme of the plenary sessions this year is "Shocks, Vulnerability and Therapy". The themes of the parallel sessions are varied and broad to accommodate diverse research interests. Submissions for presentations in the parallel sessions can be made under the following areas:

1. Macroeconomics/Finance
2. International Economics
3. Labor and Human Development
4. Microeconomic and Sectoral studies
5. Institutional Economics/Governance

TIMETABLE AND DEADLINES
The deadline for submitting proposals of papers is March 22nd, 2009. Selected applicants will be informed by May 7th, 2009. The written papers are due by August 9th, 2009. A detailed timetable is given below.

IMPORTANT DATES

• March 22nd: Deadline for submissions
• May 7th: Notification of selected proposals
• August 9th: Deadline for receiving written papers
• September 10th: Notification of acceptance of papers for presentation
• November 6th: Pre-conference activities
• November 7th: Conference begins
• December 21st: Submission of revised papers for publication in the working paper series
  

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Proposals of papers should not exceed two pages, or 700 words. They should consist of three sections, as detailed below. ERF reserves the right to exclude proposals that are not consistent with these guidelines. In addition, no single author could submit more than two proposals, alone or jointly with others. The selection of proposals is based on their evaluation by referring committees, adjusted marginally to take regional and gender balances into account.

1. Motivation and Outline: This section should provide a clear statement of the problem at hand, the knowledge gap the paper will address in light of existing literature, and how the proposed research will contribute to advancing our knowledge about the subject. It should also provide an outline of the final paper.

2. Methodology and Analysis: This section should clearly identify the question or hypothesis to be tested, as well as the research methodology that will be employed. It should describe the data that will be used in the analysis, as well as its sources and time span for each variable. It should describe the analytical technique (case studies and/or econometrics) and explain the rationale for using the said methodology.

3. Policy Implications: Researchers are encouraged to describe preliminary results and policy implications if possible. If not, they should explain how the findings will contribute to the understanding of the topic under investigation.

All proposals must specify the theme under which they are submitted. In addition, submissions should include:

• Author(s)’ last and first names, affiliation and position, address, telephone and fax numbers, as well as an email address.
• Author(s)’ CV(s) and the most recent published paper, if any.

PLEASE FORWARD YOUR SUBMISSION TO THE FOLLOWING EMAIL: erf@erf.org.eg

CONTACT
For further inquiries, please contact:
Hoda Azmi,
Conference Manager, ERF
E-mail: hazmi@erf.org.eg