2nd conference on "Africa in the global economy – Uncertain future in turbulent times"

Africa stands at a critical juncture in its role in the global economy. While the effects of the pandemic now appear to have been gradually overcome, increasing geopolitical rivalry, growing protectionism, particularly in the Global North, and climate change are playing their parts in many places on the continent. The regional repercussions of these developments, however, can vary greatly and depend heavily on differences in country-specific adaptability. For example, the continent’s wealth of resources has recently aroused desires among external partners, thereby fueling concerns of becoming a pawn in the hands of major trade and financial players in the global economy. At the same time, there is also an opportunity that the renewed interest could facilitate integration into global value chains (GVCs) and strengthen the voice of African countries at multilateral and bilateral levels.

African countries agreed on ambitious reforms towards economic prosperity by establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA is linked to the hope of promoting trade in industrial goods, agriculture and services within Africa and thereby improving opportunities for moving up the value chain for exports to the rest of the world as well. A continent-wide market is expected to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI), promote learning-by-doing and create economies of scale. At the same time, external conditions are changing. The recently proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and due diligence laws by the European Union, as well as the Inflation Reduction Act put in place by the United States, spurred fears of further marginalization of Africa, but could also provide new entry points for a closer and more active integration with Northern markets.

Given these dynamics, policy-making in the continent’s interest requires a profound understanding of their (medium to long-run) implications not only on directly related measures such as trade and investment, but also more broadly on economic development. Therefore, we invite scholars working on deepened (formal) economic relationships within Africa and with external partners to present their original research at the 2nd edition of the biennial research conference on Africa’s regional and global integration.

Submitted papers need to show a clear link to Africa’s regional or global integration efforts and experiences. We welcome policy-relevant quantitative and qualitative approaches and encourage particularly young researchers and those from the Global South to submit their contributions.

Areas of interest include (but are not limited to) the linkage of Africa’s regional and global integration with:

• Trade, including regional and global value chain (GVC) integration
• Foreign Direct Investment
• Structural transformation & (de-)industrialization
• Digitalization
• Labor market & migration
• Household welfare
• Economic growth & poverty
• Climate change & sustainability
• Geopolitics & fragmentation
• Resources & energy partnerships

Modalities and submission procedure

The conference is jointly organized by the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Boston University, the Economic Research Forum (ERF), the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at University of Cape Town and the Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains. The in-person conference will take place at the premises of IDOS in Bonn (Germany).

Conference submissions and related inquiries should be directed exclusively to socioeconomic@idos-research.de. In both cases, please use “AfrEcon 2024” in the subject line.

There are no conference fees. Limited funds for travel and accommodation for participants from the Global South are available. Please indicate in your submission if you wish to apply for funding.

Participants are fully responsible for organizing their travelling, but we will provide logistical and infor-mation support if necessary.

Conference deadlines
1 May 2024 Extended abstract submission (600-1000 words)
31 May 2024 Acceptance/rejection notification
30 September 2024 Full paper submission deadline
5-6 December 2024 Research conference

Please note that participants need to provide full papers, i.e., self-contained papers that include (first) empirical results, in order to complete registration for the conference.

Please also consider that you may need to apply for a visa in case of non-EU citizenship. If you require a visa to travel to Germany, please contact the relevant German consulate as soon as possible. While IDOS can issue letters of support for visa applications, we recommend early submission of full papers to allow sufficient time for visa application, if necessary.

Keynote speaker(s)
David Luke (LSE)
Deborah Winkler (World Bank)

Special issue
We aim to pursue a Special Issue in a peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of international econom-ics and economic development, depending on the thematic scope and quality of conference contribu-tions.

Local organizing committee
Nora Aboushady, Tilman Altenburg, Clara Brandi, Frederik Stender, Tim Vogel

Scientific Committee
Local organizers plus: Dominique Njinkeu (AERC), Abbi Kedir (AERC), Solomon Owusu (Boston Uni-versity), Jann Lay (GIGA), Rainer Thiele (IfW Kiel), Faizel Ismael (Nelson Mandela School).

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