EACES 2024: 18th Biannual Conference of the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies - EACES University of Belgrade - Faculty of Economics and Business Belgrade, Serbia, September 12-14, 2024

18th Biannual Conference of EACES at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Economics and Business

12-14 September 2024

The 18th Biannual Conference of EACES will be hosted by University of Belgrade - Faculty of Economics and Business. To guide prospective authors and participants, the main conference theme is:

Tides of change:

Comparative economic systems in the era of geo-economic fragmentation

With the slowdown of growth in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, a swing towards economic de-globalization and unilateralism has taken place even in advanced economies of the West. These trends have been depicted most dramatically in Trump’s “America First” policy and the Brexiteers’ objective to “take back control”. The European Union (EU) also showed signs of detachment from global market liberalism by its politicized trade and investment policy of “strategic autonomy”. This geo-economic fragmentation has only accelerated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent energy crisis. The rise of non-western economies, especially China and the Gulf states, has been an additional challenge for the global dynamics of development and growth. Peripheral economies, including those in Central Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, have also been significantly affected by this geo-economic fragmentation. Many have started to contest the status quo of EU integration and market liberalism by experimenting with alternative approaches to economic governance, while also attempting to benefit from the more fragmented global value chains that have altered business practices across the world.

The climate crisis and the socio-economic changes that have characterized the last decade, such as the rising inequalities, bring in additional sets of challenges, including increasing contestations to the idea of growth and of capitalism in its current form. The impact of new technologies on the world of work and the future of the welfare state have become a major concern for policy makers, workers and firms. Economic challenges posed by the climate crisis and the transition to cleaner energy sources are also multifaceted and complex. They encompass issues like the substantial upfront costs of transitioning to renewables, potential job disruptions in fossil fuel-dependent industries, price volatility in energy markets, the need for effective carbon pricing mechanisms, significant infrastructure investments, managing economic inequality in green technology adoption, maintaining global competitiveness in the face of climate regulations, agricultural impacts and food price fluctuations, increased insurance costs due to climate-related disasters, and the necessity of global cooperation and agreements.

The 18th Biannual Conference of EACES is interested in contributions that analyze various perspectives on the evolving economic systems of the post-2008 era, including countries’ economic responses to stagnating growth and the increasing environmental and societal challenges. The comparative and international political economy of state aid, economic nationalism, and economic integration with other parts of the world, and how these relate to economic upgrading, are of particular interest. We invite participants to reflect on policies that are related, but not limited to, trade, social inclusion, the future of labour, environmental protection, energy, finance, dynamic services, manufacturing, digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI). Apart from the role of the state, the conference also focuses on the changing strategies of global and domestic businesses, as well as other stakeholders. What economic consequences of geo-economic fragmentation and countries’ reactions to it can we already observe? Individual paper contributions as well as paper panels that extend beyond the main conference theme are also welcome.  

To commemorate the work of Francesco Pastore who as member of the EACES Executive Board passed away unexpectedly in 2022 at the age of 56, we invite session proposals that deal with school to work transition, returns to education, and gender inequality in the labor market, with a focus on developing, emerging and post-transition countries.

Host institution: University of Belgrade - Faculty of Economics and Business (UB-EKOF) is an independent legal entity, member of the University of Belgrade (a federation of 31 schools and 11 research institutes), the biggest and oldest public university in Serbia, which is ranked among top 300 world universities on the Shanghai list. Over 42,000 students have graduated from UB-EKOF since its foundation in 1937. EKOF consists of six departments. Teaching and research is conducted by 133 professors and associates, together with 25 foreign visiting professors. EKOF has over seven thousand students, 120 teachers and associates, several international study programs, ACCA accreditation, institutionalized cooperation with over 100 world universities and over 400 companies in Serbia and abroad, is one of the most distinguished higher education and research institutions in the fields of economics, business management and statistics in the region of South East Europe.

Keynote speakers: Prof. Engelbert Stockhammer (King's College London) and Prof. Milica Uvalic (EUI / University of Perugia)

Local Organising Committee: Dr Sonja Avlijaš (Vice-President of EACES), Dr Will Bartlett, Dr Aleksandra Đorđević, Prof Dr Nikola Fabris, Prof Dr Milorad Filipović, Dr Dejan Molnar, Prof Dr Žaklina Stojanović, Dr Nemanja Vuksanović, Prof Dr Jelena Žarković.

Conference information

The deadline for submission of individual paper abstracts and panel proposals is 15 April 2024. Abstracts should not exceed 250 words and they should be submitted at this link. 

The EACES Selection Committee will start notifying applicants about the acceptance of their paper/panel from 15 April 2024.

Online registration: Starting from 15th April 2024.

Deadline for the submission of doctoral dissertations for the EACES 2024 PhD Award: 31 March 2024. The winner will be notified no later than 31 May 2024. Application requirements for the EACES PhD Award can be found here.

Conference fees

Senior researchers: 195 EUR + EACES 2-year membership of 50 EUR for early bird (before 12 July 2024); and 245 EUR + 50 EUR membership after 12 July 2024.

PhD students and junior researchers*: 100 EUR + 30 EUR 2-year membership for early bird (before 12 July 2024); and 125 + 30 EUR membership after 12 July 2024.