November 8–10, 2000, Hong Kong J.W. Marriott Hotel

Sponsors: Prudential Asset Management Asia Ltd.; GE Equity; Newbridge Capital Ltd.; Clifford Chance; Baker & McKenzie; Baring Private Equity Partners Asia; Bain & Company; Crimson Ventures Ltd.; Coller Capital Ltd.; Walden International Investment Group.

Global sponsors: H&Q Asia Pacific; Venture Quest: KLM Capital Group; AsiaTech Web site Group.

April 22–24, 2001, Hilton London Metropole Hotel and Conference Centre, London

The 2001 Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the associated Business Forum will mark the 10th anniversary of the start of the EBRD’s operations.

April 24, 2001, Ammersee, Germany

This symposium is designed to bring together labor economists from across Europe and key researchers from outside the region. It provides the opportunity for researchers from different universities and countries to discuss their work in a relaxed atmosphere and to develop long-term collaborative relationships. The conference also aims to provide young researchers with the opportunity to meet and discuss their work with senior economists.

Information: Monique Muldoon, Meetings Manager, tel.: 4420-7878-2907, fax: 4420-7878-2999, Email: mmuldoon@cepr.org, Web site: http://www.cepr.org/home_ie.asp.

World Bank’s Thirteenth Annual Bank Conference On Development Economics (ABCDE)

May 1–2, 2001, Washington, D.C., United States

Opening Address by World Bank President, James D. Wolfensohn, Keynote Address by World Bank Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Nicholas H. Stern.

Session One: Globalization and Inequality (Kevin O’Rourke, Daniel Cohen, Richard N. Cooper, and Anthony Venables). Session Two: Health and Development (representing Medecins sans Frontieres—Doctors Without Borders: Jean O. Lanjouw, Anne Case, and Tomas J. Philipson). Four parallel workshop sessions will be held each afternoon. Participation by non-Bank and non-IMF staff by invitation only.

Product Markets, Financial Markets, and the Pace of Innovation in Europe

May 25, 2001, Brussels, Belgium

Considerable progress has been made in the past 10 years, but researchers and policymakers have still not fully identified the main sources of and obstacles to innovation or how those obstacles can be overcome through policy or institutional design. This workshop will look at the environment facing firms—particularly product markets and financial markets—to achieve a better understanding of the relations between innovation and institutions. Papers will focus on four themes: innovation and the structure of product markets, innovation and the structure of financial markets, innovation and the policy environment, and measuring the impact of institutions on innovation and productivity growth.

Information: Monique Muldoon, Meetings Manager, tel.: 4420-7878-2907, fax: 4420-7878-2999, Email: mmuldoon@cepr.org, Web site: http://www.cepr.org/home_ie.asp.

Poland and the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as those of the former Soviet Union are going through this unique historical process of transition. It is difficult and for some social groups proves to be also painful. The key factor for its success are changes in social consciousness. Public relations have already in many cases proved to be a new—in this unique environment—and usefull instrument for achieving such desirable changes in the former "socialist" thinking, and helping in introducing the principles of market economy and of democratic political system.

The aims of the conference are to:

Deadlines: March 1, 2001—for registration and submission of abstracts.

June 12–16, 2001, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Despite the profusion of research on the political, economic, and sociocultural aspects of the postcommunist transition in Central and Eastern Europe, little has been written about the effect of rapid economic and social transformation on sexuality. This conference aims to fill this gap by addressing the important question of whether in addition to reflecting the new societal reality, sexuality can also generate the social tolerance and social capital necessary for a well-rooted democracy. A book consisting of selected conference proceedings, to be published following the conference, will provide the first theoretical and empirical body of work that explores various aspects of human sexuality in posttransition economies.

The conference also hopes to establish a wider sexuality research network by bringing together experts from Central and Eastern Europe, the European Union, and the United States. Topics to be addressed at the conference include Postcommunist Sexual Politics; Sexuality Research in Transitional Countries: Tradition and New Winds; Gender Roles and Sex Norms in Transition; Sexual Representations in the Postcommunist Media; Aporiae of Sex Education: New Solutions for New Health Risks?; Sexual Minorities: New Social Movements and the Old Homophobia; Toward New Sexual Lifestyles: Patterns of Adult Sexual Behavior; and Commercial Sex in Transitional Countries.

July 9–27, 2001, Budapest, Hungary

This three-week course is intended to equip participants with the economic tools needed to assess the welfare effects of competition, competition legislation, and alternative competition policy decisions. It aims to support those who contribute to the growing political debate, legal disputes, and administrative decisionmaking processes on competition policy in transition. Particularly welcome are Ph.D. students with teaching experience, junior faculty, and competition analysts in NGOs, business, and government.

The course, directed by Todor Gradev, includes six modules. After a brief review of the basic concepts of oligopoly theory, the first module will set up the subsequent discussion by addressing competition and efficiency. The next four modules will address the theoretical concepts and inferences for public policy design of controversial competition-related issues, including the permissible levels of market power and market concentration, the role of the market as a selection mechanism, the evolution of market structure, and the controversies over international trade and domestic competition. One module will be devoted to the European Union. The last module, a simulated competition adjudication, will make participants explore the practical applicability of the theory of competition.

Fully funded places are available for 28 participants from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and other new democracies. Applicants must apply by January 15, 2001.

September 26–27, 2001, University of Le Havre, France

This conference, organized jointly by the the University of Le Havre and Inha University (Republic of Korea), aims to bring together theoretical and applied research work on the importance of spatial factors in addressing regional economic development. Papers are invited on the following topics:

Empirical papers should draw on evidence from Europe or East Asia. Case studies comparing East Asia and Europe and papers drawing on the recent rediscovery of economic geography are particularly welcome.

Papers will be selected and the final program drawn up by May 15, 2001. Final versions of selected papers should be submitted by September 1, 2001. The proceedings of the conference will be published. Travel, hotel, and meal expenses will be covered for all conference participants.