3rd Conference on Economic Policy and Research in the UAE and Beyond

(United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE - March 4, 2024)

Call for Papers

The UAE Ministry of Economy and the United Arab Emirates University invite submissions of complete papers to
be potentially featured during the 3rd Conference on Economic Policy and Research in the UAE and Beyond,
which will be held on March 4th, 2024, in Al Ain, UAE. The conference is the third to be organized by a consortium
of four UAE public and private universities, which include the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Zayed
University (ZU), New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), and the American University in Sharjah (AUS). The
first two conferences were hosted by NYUAD and AUS.

Papers submitted for the conference should feature original, unpublished high-quality research on the economies of
the UAE, the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, or the Middle East and North Africa region. The
papers could be theoretical or empirical but should clearly have policy relevance and implications.

As the conference title suggests, economic goals of the UAE government and economic policies to achieve them
are a priority. The economic goals of the UAE government are to:
1. Build a globally integrated business environment.
2. Adopt a disciplined and responsive fiscal policy to business cycles.
3. Manage inflation through monetary and fiscal policies.
4. Enhance the flexibility and efficiency of the labor market.
5. Expand economic growth-supporting infrastructure.
6. Advance a highly skilled and productive work force.
7. Enhance the role of financial markets in financing investment and growth.

Accordingly, the conference topics include but are not limited to:
Goal 1:
Business environment in relation to domestic and foreign investment and entrepreneurship.
Global business cycles, investment, and entrepreneurship.
Financing small and medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurship.
Business environment and innovation.
Entrepreneurship and employment.
Health shocks and entrepreneurship.
Ease of doing business and foreign direct investment.
Geopolitical risk and foreign direct investment.
Fostering resilience in Global Value Chains and implications for the GCC countries.

Goal 2:
Business cycles in relation to fiscal and monetary policy, growth, inflation, unemployment, and inflation.
Business cycle synchronization in the GCC.
Sensitivity of GCC economies to macroeconomic performance in trading partners.
The role of macroprudential policies.
Goal 3:
Determinants of inflation in GCC countries.
Oil price volatility, inflation expectations, and macroeconomic performance.
Oil prices and conduct of fiscal and monetary policies.
Global and regional shocks and GCC fiscal and monetary policies.
Global oil shocks and stability of GCC financial markets.

Goals 4, 5 and 6:
Performance of labor markets in the GCC countries.
Improving labor market flexibility and efficiency.
Labor markets and (un)employment.
Labor markets, investment, and growth.
Gender gaps in labor force participation and (un)employment.
Gender gaps, growth, income inequality and regional disparities.
Education, education quality and labor productivity.
Education, education quality and employability in the GCC countries.

Goal 7:
Financial development, savings, investment, and growth in the GCC countries.
Financial inclusion and exclusion in the GCC countries.
Financial inclusion and financial stability in the GCC countries.
Evaluation of the role and performance of fintech companies in the GCC countries.
Digitalization, financial inclusion, and financial literacy.
Small and medium-sized enterprise finance.
Green and sustainable finance.
Social protection and financial inclusion in the GCC countries.

In addition, topics may include global and regional geopolitical tensions, the energy crisis, energy transition, climate
change, sustainability, and sustainable development goals.

Submission Procedure
• Authors should submit complete papers or work in progress in near complete stages in English as pdf files
to UAEUECON@uaeu.ac.ae by 15 December 2023 (11:59 PM Abu Dhabi time). Priority, however, will
be given to complete papers.
• The conference will include student papers session(s). Students are encouraged to submit their own papers
to the conference. An award will be given to the best student paper.
• All submissions should contain a title, name, and affiliation of the author(s), contact information, and the
appropriate fields (JEL classifications and keywords).
• Authors of selected papers will be notified by 5 February 2024.
• All presenters will be requested to provide comments and serve as discussants for other papers.
• Limited funding will be available for international participants covering economy-class flights to the UAE
and up to 2 nights of accommodation in Al Ain. If the funding opportunities are exhausted, participants
may also attend on a self-funded basis.
Conference Organizing Committee
Institutional Partners
Dr. Samer Kherfi, School of Business Administration, AUS

UAEU
Dr. Wasseem Mina, College of Business and Economics, UAEU (Chair)
Prof. Aktham AlMaghaireh, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Ahmed Elsayed, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Nader Atawnah, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Sasidaran Gopalan, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Hao Jia, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Muhammad Abubakr Naeem, College of Business and Economics, UAEU

Conference Advisory Committee

Institutional Partners
Dr. Jean Fares, Office of HE the Minister of Economy
Prof. Yaw Nyarko, Department of Economics, NYU and NYUAD
Dr. Mouawiya Alawad, Institute for Social and Economic Research, Zayed University

UAEU
Dr. Amany ElAnshasy, College of Business and Economics, UAEU (Chair)
Dr. Kathia Bahloul, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Zakaria Boulanouar, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Prof. Abdulnasser Hatemi Jarabad, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Usman Khalid, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Simon Ming Lo, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Wasseem Mina, College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dr. Osama Sweidan, College of Business and Economics, UAEU

Inquiries
Inquiries may be directed to Dr. Wasseem Mina (wmina@uaeu.ac.ae) or any member of the organizing committee.