Call for Applications : IDEAs-UFRJ advanced students’ workshop on “rethinking the international financial architecture” August 5-6, 2024, Rio de Janeiro.

Applications to be accepted until May 16, 2024, 23:59 UTC

Introduction

A much-discussed challenge facing the international community is the effort to reform the international financial architecture, or the channels, institutions and rules mediating the cross-border flow of capital. These issues have gained prominence in recent years with widespread external vulnerability and the recurrence of debt crises that defy resolution, the financing challenge posed by likely shortfalls in the realisation of the SDG targets set for 2030, and the need to allocate resources to combat global warming and its climate change effects and consequences. A system in which all adjustments in response to global imbalances and crises must be made by low- and middle-income countries—as has been the case for the past couple of decades has not only failed but has been shown to be unfit for purpose when it comes to meeting the urgent challenges of our times.

The international financial architecture needs to be urgently reformed. Multilateral development banks ought to be restructured to make them fit for purpose. The Global Financial Safety Net, consisting of central bank swap lines, operations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), regional financing arrangements (RFAs), including new laws relating to debt contracts, a system for sovereign debt restructuring, and revised international norms on use of capital control measures, needs to be reinforced. The independence of financing channels for climate mitigation and adaptation and loss and damage needs to be ensured.

As part of the global effort to address these issues, IDEAs, a progressive, South-led network of development thinkers and practitioners, and the Institute of Economics of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IE/UFRJ) have organised a workshop on “Rethinking the International Financial Architecture” for advanced students. The workshop will expose participants to frontier areas of research in international political economy, macroeconomics, and finance. Its outline (see below) is aimed at students preparing for their PhDs and students who are already enrolled in PhD programmes, and to those who plan to start working after their post-graduation as research analysts, journalists or in other positions requiring them to understand these issues.

The workshop will be offered back-to-back with the IDEAs-UFRJ Global Conference on “Reforming the International Financial Architecture” to be held between August 7-9, also in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Conference will engage with these issues and contribute to the effort at reform by prioritising action needed in the current global economic and geopolitical environment. Advanced students selected to participate in the workshop will be able to take part in this international conference.

Workshop’s outline

Monday August 5, 2024

9:15 am-10:30 am            Global Finance since the Great Depression

10:30 am -10:5 am          Coffee break

10:45 am-12:00 pm         Core country macroeconomic policy and vulnerability in the periphery

12:00 pm-1:15 pm           International inequality, external debt and development finance: Debt distress, defaults and the political economy of crisis resolution

1:15 pm-2:15 pm              Lunch break

2: 15 pm-3:30 pm             Capital flows, external debt and macroeconomic management today – Lessons from Latin America

3:30 pm-3:45 pm              Coffee break

3:45 pm-5:00 pm              Can the Bretton Woods Institutions serve their purpose?

Tuesday August 6, 2024

9:15 am-10:30 am            Prospects for the Introduction of a Clearing Union at the International Level

10:30 am-10:45 am         Coffee break

10: 45 am-12:00 pm        The global financial safety net: Proposals for Reform

12:00 pm-1:00 pm           Lunch break

1:00 pm-2:15 pm              Financing climate policies and the SDGs: The role of public and private financing

5:00 pm-7:00 pm              IDEAs-BNDES panel on reforming the international financial architecture

Eligibility

Applicants should have completed post-graduation in economics. Candidates who have completed post-graduation in other social science disciplines, but are keen to enrol in this workshop, are also welcome to apply.

Application

Deadline: May 17, 2024, 23:59 UTC

To Apply online : Click Here

In your application, you would need to include:

1. Statements of grades/Marksheets of your under-graduate and postgraduate degrees
2. A statement of purpose explaining your academic background, your academic interests and why you want to enrol for this workshop
3. One letter of recommendation from a teacher, supervisor or anyone else you have professionally worked with. The LoRs of candidates who are in full-time jobs or are enrolled in full-time PhD programmes should be from their employer/supervisor, and should include an affirmation that, in the event of their selection, they would be able to devote necessary time to travel and participate in the workshop.

Travel and Lodging

All travel and lodging costs will be taken care of by IDEAs from August 5-9, i.e. including the Conference days.

Selection

An admissions committee constituted by IDEAs will review the applications and shortlist candidates. Selected candidates will be notified by May 31, 2024.

Confirmation of Admission

Selected candidates will be required to confirm their acceptance of the offer of admission by email by June , 2024.

Contact

For any queries, email: response@networkideas.org