The Journal of International Economics, University of Geneva, the World Bank, and the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) invite you to participate of the Call for Papers for the second edition of the “International Seminar on Trade” (ISoT) on May 21-22, 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland. ISoT focuses on recent advances in empirical, theoretical, andquantitative international trade.
- Agenda
- Call for Papers
- About the Organizers
All times are given in Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2)
Thursday, May 21
| 8:45 - 9:00 | Opening remarks |
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Session 1 Worker Heterogeneity, Wage Inequality, and International Trade: Theory and Evidence from Brazil |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Coffee break |
| 10:30 - 12:30 | Session 2 The U.S.-China Trade War and the Geography of Global Production Discussant: Dennis Novy (University of Warwick) Market Power, Misallocation, and Trade Policy |
| 12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 - 15:00 | Keynote lecture Marc Melitz (Harvard University & CEPR) |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | Coffee break |
| 15:30 - 17:30 | Session 3 Tariff Confusion Immigration's Effect on US Wages and Employment Redux |
| 19:00 | Dinner |
Friday, May 22
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Session 4 The Rise of State-Connected Private Owners in China |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Coffee break |
| 10:30 - 12:30 | Session 5 Evading the Ban: Smuggling, Pollution, and the Welfare Effects of China’s Waste Import Restrictions Not wearing Prada: Do private sanctions reinforce official sanctions? |
| 12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 - 16:00 | Session 6 CTRL+EXP+DEL: The Domestic Costs of U.S. Export Controls What Happens in Paris, Does Not Stay in Paris: Trade Fairs and Search and Matching Frictions |
| 16:00 - 16:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:30 - 17:30 | Session 7 U.S. War Procurement and the Korean Export Miracle |
| 17:30 - 17:45 | Closing remarks |
Submission deadline: Sunday 11th January 2026
ISoT will focus on recent advances in empirical, theoretical, and quantitative international trade. We also welcome papers in closely related fields – including economic geography, development and industrialization; technology, innovation and digital transformation; climate change and the environment; macroeconomics and finance; economic resilience and crisis management; and labor, inequality and social impacts – if they include a significant international trade component. Submitted papers should be motivated by real-world questions and firmly grounded in policy-relevant empirical evidence.
Submissions must not be under consideration for publication in another journal. By submitting to this call for papers, authors agree to allow the Journal of International Economics to consider their papers for publication in a special issue. The refereeing process will be overseen by two Guest Editors, who will be Isabelle Mejean (Sciences Po and CEPR) and Marc Melitz (Harvard University and CEPR).
To submit your paper for consideration, please upload a PDF file by Sunday 11 January, 2026, no later than 11:59 PM EST following the instructions below.
If you know of a relevant paper by another researcher, please share this call with them.
Paper Submissions
How to submit
Authors who already have a CEPR HUB profile can upload their submission by:
1. Going to https://hub.cepr.org/ and logging in
2. After you have logged in, go to https://hub.cepr.org/event/4950
3. Click on "Step 1: Apply"
4. Under "Apply to Attend" click "Yes"
5. Tick the boxes that apply to you
6. Tick "Would you like to submit a paper?", upload your paper and supply the requested information
7. Click "Submit form" to make the submission.
Authors who do not have a CEPR HUB profile can upload their submission by:
1. Creating a new profile here https://hub.cepr.org/user/register
2. After you have logged in, go to https://hub.cepr.org/event/4950
3. Click on "Step 1: Apply"
4. Under "Apply to Attend" click "Yes"
5. Tick the boxes that apply to you
6. Tick "Would you like to submit a paper?", upload your paper and supply the requested information
7. Click "Submit form" to make the submission.
For registration assistance, please contact Bao Khanh Le, Senior Events Officer at bkle@cepr.org
Funding
Only authors of accepted papers will be contacted, with decisions expected by mid-February. Travel and accommodation expenses for one co-author per accepted paper will be covered according to the organizing entities' travel guidelines. The details of these guidelines will be included in the decision notification letter.
Guest editors for special issue in the Journal of International Economics
Isabelle Méjean (Sciences Po and CEPR)
Marc Melitz (Harvard University and CEPR)
Organizing committee
Costas Arkolakis (Yale University)
Monika Mrázová (University of Geneva and CEPR)
Marcelo Olarreaga (University of Geneva)
Gianmarco Ottaviano (Bocconi University and CEPR)
Daria Taglioni (World Bank)
Selection committee
Erhan Artuc (World Bank)
Paola Conconi (University of Oxford and CEPR)
Eunhee Lee (Seoul National University)
Monika Mrázová (University of Geneva and CEPR)
Heiwai Tang (Hong Kong University)
Bob Rijkers (World Bank & Utrecht University)