Jacques Polak Ninth Annual Research Conference

Call for Papers

The International Monetary Fund will hold the Jacques Polak Ninth Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 13-14, 2008. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in economics, undertaken both by IMF staff and by outside economists, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policy makers. Professor Jean Tirole will deliver the Mundell-Fleming lecture.

The theme of this year's conference is Macro-Financial Linkages. Possible topics include (but are not restricted to): (1) the role of finance in transmitting and amplifying real shocks, including international spillovers; (2) the financial sector as a source of (international) disturbances, including issues related to financial innovation, liberalization, and regulatory design; (3) macroeconomic imbalances, global liquidity, and financial sector stability; (4) macroeconomic effects and policy response to credit and asset price booms and busts; (5) financial sector structure (e.g., bank versus market orientation), liquidity, and macroeconomic performance. Papers that do not fit into these categories, but that are related to the main theme of the conference, are also welcome.

Interested contributors should submit a draft paper or a two-page proposal to the Program Committee. The proposal should include the title of the paper, the author(s)' affiliation and contact information, the main questions to be examined, the most relevant literature, the intended contribution of the paper to the literature, and the possible data sets and methodology to be employed. If possible, please attach a completed paper or a work-in-progress draft to the proposal. Authors should also provide a copy of their curriculum vitae. All presenters will be reimbursed for travel expenses and accommodation.

Please submit your proposals (in a Word or PDF file) by June 29, 2008 (e-mail to ARC2008@imf.org) Please use the contact author's name as the name of the file. The Program Committee will evaluate all proposals in terms of originality, analytical rigor, and policy relevance and will contact the authors whose papers have been selected by late-July. A 15-page work-in-progress draft will be required by end August. Further information on the conference program will be posted on the IMF website (www.imf.org).