The EMANES Annual Conference 2022 offers leading academics, practitioners and policymakers the opportunity to discuss innovative research on a range of topics related to the social inclusion and social protection Post Covid-19 and amidst the war in Ukraine focusing on the Mediterranean and Africa.

As the world emerges from a global pandemic, calls for a resilient and sustainable recovery have intensified.  The “Post-COVID 19” state of the world is to be built towards more resilience, sustainability, inclusion and equality, all of these crucial requirements which are further challenged by the international emergencies intensified by the war in Ukraine. The EMEA-EMANES research published during the last two years shows that countries exhibiting socio-economic vulnerabilities prior to the pandemic had lower capacity to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and to resist to further external shocks. In other words, the countries that have built a resilient system via macro, fiscal, financial and social buffers, could better respond to the pandemic and rebound. Several pillars, including social inclusion, social protection and safety net, digitalisation, financial inclusion, health policy, regional integration, via regional value chains and sustainable development have been explored by EMANES research to offer economic policy answers on the design of recovery models post COVID-19. At the same time EMEA-EMANES is striving to define new research on monitoring how the conflict in Ukraine is aggravating socio-economic vulnerabilities in the Mediterranean and in Africa. Following that, EMEA-EMANES intends to help identify policy actions to effectively alleviate the increasing socio-economic unease across the whole area spanning from the Mediterranean to the entire Africa.

Also, the context of pressing demographic dynamics, coupled with growing gender gaps, economic disparities, and persistent labor market challenges, bring to the forefront the necessity to find novel solutions that fit into the inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth agenda in the South Mediterranean and African region. During the last few decades, the share of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in these economies has grown substantially, their potential for job creation and social inclusion has also been underscored. SSE units can be a key factor in improving the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises. In these countries there is however evidence that safety net systems are either not developed or inexistent.

This call for papers invites submissions of high-quality unpublished manuscripts on topics related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the transition to a resilient, equitable, inclusive and sustainable socio-economic growth in Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa including, but not limited to:

1. Social inclusion, equality and fight against poverty;
2. Social protection systems and safety nets;
3. Role of digitalization and changes in local and global value chains and impacts on social enterprises;
4. Emerging socio-economic, climate and environmental challenges and social inclusion;
5. Social and solidarity economy and social innovation as a pillar of resilience of post COVID-19 pandemic and during the war in Ukraine;
6. Social Enterprises and Social and Solidarity Economy Organizations in the Mediterranean and Africa;
7. Reassessing poverty and inclusion through post-GDP indicators of national and social wellbeing.

 

Submissions under other topics are encouraged:

• Monetary policy during and post COVID-19 and during the War in Ukraine
• Fiscal policy during and post COVID-19 and during the War in Ukraine
• Debt sustainability and international cooperation for debt relief
• Financial inclusion, crypto-currencies, digitalization, financial education and role of Central Banks;
• Sustainability and stability of financial systems during and post COVID-19 and during the War in Ukraine
• COVID-19 recovery and green stimulus policies
• Financial innovation, inclusion and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Corporate social responsibility in extreme risks scenarios
• Role of the state, financial institutions and markets in post-COVID 19 recovery and during the war in Ukraine
• Regional integration, social inclusion, in post-COVID 19 recovery and during the War in Ukraine

 

Papers on other EMANES research areas are encouraged.

The Euro-Mediterranean and African Network of Economic Studies (EMANES) new socio-economic vision stems from the quest for long-term economic policy solutions aiming at more inclusive, sustainable, equitable, and employment driven socio-economic development in the region.

EMANES research covers the following areas:

• The role of institutions and labour markets;
• The role of the private sector and Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in achieving an inclusive development model;
• Social business and social inclusion;
• Health policy;
• Creative and cultural economy ;
• Sustainable development and low carbon economy;
• Entrepreneurship and innovation;
• Finance, employment and inclusive growth;
• Human capital, skill mismatches, job creation and migration;
• Macroeconomic policies, productivity and job creation;
• Economics of the EU-Mediterranean and EU-African partnership;
• Regional integration and job creation;
• Scenario analysis and foresight;

 

This list of research topics is evolving.
Progress of work: EMANES

 

Registration Fees: The conference is free of charge