Ideas for Developing Asia and the Pacific

Call for Papers: International Conference on Supply-Side Support for SMEs

International Conference on Supply-Side Support for SMEs
Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), International Finance and Banking Society (IFABS), UNESCAP, University of Sheffield, and University of Nottingham
Tokyo, Japan
17–18 October 2017

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for most employment and much of the production in emerging Asian economies. However, their potential for growth, innovation, and productivity enhancement is often stymied by lack of access to finance as well as inadequate capacity and training. Policy interventions and institutional developments that to ease these constraints could contribute substantially to the growth potential of these countries.

We invite submission of papers for a 2-day conference on topics related to supply-side support for SMEs with special reference to the situation in Asia and the Pacific economies. We are looking for original papers in the field of theoretical, empirical, and experimental economic research on the following areas:

  • Technological improvement
  • Skill development (education/vocational school, training for specific skills)
  • Capital raising (improving financial access such as through bank loans, money lenders, crowd funding, and venture capital; improving credit databases; and tailoring banking regulations)
  • Infrastructure development such as industrial zones, roads, railways and ports.

The ADBI, IFABS, and UNESCAP, with the collaboration of the University of Sheffield and the University of Nottingham, are supporting this conference.

Submissions:

Abstracts (250 words or less) must be submitted to [email protected] no later than 30 June 2017 as Word documents containing a title, name and affiliation of the author(s), contact information, and the appropriate fields (JEL classifications). However, early applications including a full paper are preferred. The working language of the seminar will be English. If there are two or more authors, please identify the person attending. Selected applicants will be notified by the end of July or earlier. Full draft papers will be required for the workshop, and should be submitted by 31 August 2017. Authors will be required to make 20 minute presentations. One discussant will comment on each paper and lead the discussion.

Funding:

We provide economy-class transportation (international or domestic) to Tokyo and three nights’ accommodation for participants.

Scientific Committee:

  • Shamshad Akhtar, UNESCAP
  • Naoyuki Yoshino, ADBI
  • Meryem Duygun, University of Nottingham
  • Mohamed Shaban, University of Sheffield
  • Thomas Noe, University of Oxford
  • Steven Ongena, University of Zurich
  • Thorsten Beck, Cass Business School
  • Sushanta Mallick, Queen Mary College, University of London
  • Asli Demirguc-Kunt, World Bank
  • Anders Isaksson, UNIDO

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