Call for Papers: 13th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM), Delhi

SAESM Nepal invites application from undergraduate (Economics) Nepali students for participation to 13th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM) to be held in Delhi from 23-30 December, 2016 to be organized by Ramjas College, University of Delhi. This call invites application on two categories-

• ·         Paper Presentation Category ( 6 Papers will be selected)
• ·         Budding Economist Category (4 Students will be Selected)

Those who wish to apply for paper presentation categories shall submit the concept note relating to broad theme as specified below; while prospective participants of Budding Economist categories shall write an essay specified below and shall sit in a written examination.

The prospective applicants shall submit their concept note or full paper along with a covering letter (including their current college/department and university) and should clearly mention on which category they wish to participate. The deadline for submission is  May 05, 2016. The decisions regarding final selections will be communicated by May 15.

All application shall be sent to saesm.nepal@gmail.com with cc to nabueco@gmail.com

See saesm-nepal.blogspot.com for details about call.

Paper Presentation Categories

The students are invited to submit concept note or full paper on following mention broad themes.

1. Regional Integration Challenges for South Asia - Lessons from SAFTA and other regional trading agreements. Enhancing trade is one of the challenges that South Asian countries face in the coming years. This can be achieved in a number of ways: through bilateral trade agreements, regional trade cooperation or through multilateral trade agreements. Although there is a huge potential for trade among the South Asian countries, it has not been very important until now because of low levels of cooperation between the countries. Skewed balance of power, and political tensions and mistrust among the countries have reduced the effectiveness of regional trade agreements. The papers in this theme can examine aspects of regional trade arrangements such as SAFTA or BIMSTEC, and its potential to impact integration through trade and cooperation in the South Asian region. Options for South Asian countries - Regionalism or Multilateralism; Bilateral FTA or a regional FTA; Lessons from other regional FTAs are some of the other themes that can be explored.

 2. FDI and Private Investment It is generally observed that trade and increased investment, including FDI inflows, go hand in hand. It is a two-way relationship: more trade leads to more investment and higher investment in turn leads to increased trade. The share of South Asian countries in both global trade and global FDI inflows, however, continues to be low. The share of South Asian region is less than 1% of global FDI inflows, and the share of intra-regional FDI continues to be insignificant. Higher investment will lead to increased levels of export diversification, and more intra-regional FDI and supply-chain integration will boost trade within the region. Papers within this theme can analyze global FDI inflows into the region and intra-regional FDI inflows; assess the actual and/or potential impact of FDI on trade, productivity, employment, etc.; explore issues relating to the existing FDI policy framework to assess how the business environment can be improved to increase investor confidence, remove impediments to both outward and inward investment flows and allow development of institutional structures to facilitate investment.

3. Agriculture, Food security and Hunger :Agriculture and allied activities comprise the largest source of livelihoods and occupation in all the South Asian economies. The agricultural sector is also a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings in most of our countries. In spite of the remarkable achievements in the agricultural sector in many countries of the region, the sector still suffers from serious infrastructural constraints and is often marked by low productivity and earnings relative to other sectors. Food security remains a critical issue in all the countries with more than half of world’s hungry people residing in this region. Providing adequate nutritious food remains a serious challenge for the region. In the milieu of globalization, changes in cropping pattern, land use and rapid urbanization are also making significant impact on the dynamics of food security. The papers on this theme can be based on any issue relating to agriculture and/or food security in the region. But papers that link up these issues with interregional cooperation, trade and processes of evolving a common policy framework in international bodies such as FAO and WTO are encouraged.

4. Global Value Chains and South Asia Global Value Chains are central to the arena of contemporary practices and policies of international trade and investment. Because value chains are integrated networks of production operations and not just a series of cross-border transactions, they implicate multiple policy areas and imply greater mutual policy dependency. Governments are anxious to acquire a significant share of value additions along GVCs. However the challenge is not merely quantitative; it is also about the quality of participation in terms of the capacities created, dynamic possibilities of diversification, degrees of control and autonomy, and the nature of employment generated in the process. Can GVCs effectively serve regional economic development in South Asia? Or, by interlocking with global production networks, do they create dependencies and thus act as hindrances? The papers on this theme can be based on any issue relating to the participation of the South Asian economies in intraregional or global GVCs and its implications.

 5. Demystifying Non-Tariff Barriers in South Asia In the initial years of SAARC in the 1980s, the popular reason behind limited intra-regional trade was the prevailing high tariff rate among the member countries. High tariff rates have come down substantially over the years since the formation of SAARC, due to increased globalisation of trade, and establishment of the WTO regime and the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). Despite significant reduction in tariff rates in the region, the intra-SAARC trade has remained static. Now the popular hypothesis is that it is not the high tariff rates, but the Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) and the resulting trade barriers, i.e., NonTariff Barriers (NTBs) which are the main reasons behind limited intra-regional trade in South Asia. Further, traders from across South Asia have many NTB complaints and the high incidence of NTBs leads to the problem of “missing markets. The papers in this theme should cover all aspects of non tariff barriers that have impeded trade amongst partner countries and also suggest policy measures that can overcome these barriers?

6. Infrastructure, Connectivity and Trade The quality and capacity of South Asia’s infrastructure, both on the national and cross-border levels, is certainly a matter of concern. Further, the lack of regional connectivity adds to the constraints hindering the potential of regional growth and economic integration. Therefore, what is important for South Asian countries is to enhance the facilitation of trade and transport across borders. Integrated regional connectivity would provide substantial benefits to landlocked countries as well as poor, small countries by giving them access to world market at lower costs. In order to encourage integration in South Asia, a comprehensive approach is needed to address the physical infrastructure issues, including roads, rail, inland waterways, maritime transport, dry ports, airports, seaports, and information and communication technology, as well as the non-physical soft infrastructure issues, including cross-border transit facilitation measures; customs clearance, and other facilitating polices and regulations. The papers on this theme can be based on any issues highlighted and focus on a particular country or South Asian in general.

Budding Economist Categories

Study wishing to apply for this category shall send essay titled “Institutional Barriers to Trade in Services in South Asia along with application letter. They will be further invited to sit in an examination of 1.5 hours with objective questions covering following content of Economics. Final decision of selection will be made based on their essay (20 % Weights) and Examination (80%).

·         Micro and Macro Economics

·         Mathematics and Statistics for Economics

·         Development in Globalizing world.

About SAESM

South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM) is organized by a network of team involving individuals and the institutions they represent. The SAESM, the only forum for young economists in the SAARC countries, provides a unique platform for undergraduates of economics streams for networking, knowledge sharing, and fostering a collective understanding in issues of and formulating strategies for a South Asian economic development and prosperity. The SAESM, since its inauguration in Delhi in 2004, has continued its unbroken legacy as an annual meet and has established as an important event in the academic calendar of all South Asian universities. SAESM has been hosted by different member institutions across South Asia in the city of Delhi, Lahore, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu and Thimpu at various years. The SAESM visions this important event as one to groom young economists as an unorthodox force to reckon within the South-Asian development and beyond. The SAESM’s contribution towards professional development of young undergraduates has been most noteworthy. It has groomed hundreds of young undergraduates professionals to deliberate at international forum and also provides each undergraduate a distinctive opportunity for skills enhancement, team work, leadership and to develop confidence and provide hands-on global exposure.

SAESM Nepal team

Prof. Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal- Chairman

Naveen Adhikari- Executive Coordinator

Khagendra Katuwal- Member

Baburam Karki-Member

Nirmal K Raut-Member

Conference Schedule - 23-30 December 2016

·         Day1 23 Friday Arrival of all participants/ Conference opening ceremony in the evening (night stay Delhi)

·         Day2 24 Saturday Conference Day 1/ (night stay Delhi)

·         Day3 25 Sunday Conference Day2/ late evening departure for Agra (night stay Agra)

·         Day4 26 Monday Agra ( night stay Agra)

·         Day5 27 Tuesday Agra/Departure for Gwalior (night stay Gwalior)

·         Day6 28 Wed Gwalior/Departure for Delhi (night stay Delhi)

·         Day7 29 Thurs Delhi Tour/ Conference closing ceremony and dinner (night stay Delhi)

·          Day 8 30 Friday Departure

Event Logistics

The organizer will cover cost of travel and accommodation during the conference period. However, each participants need to pay a sum of 200 USD as registration fee for retreat.

If you have any further query, send your email to Naveen Adhikari, Executive Coordinator, SAESM Nepal to his email nabueco@gmail.com or call at 9851062222

NOTICE 12 SAESM SELECTION - COLOMBO SRI LANKA

This is to notify that following students have been selected to participate on 12th SAESM to be held on Colombo Sri Lanka during last weeks of December 2015 organized by Department of Economics, University of Colombo . 

1	Pratibha Aryal
2	Nishant khanal
3	Rochak Bohora
4	Riju Joshi
5	Jugal Acharya
6	Sujata Thapa
7	Usha Pandey
8	Deepak Awasthi
9	Namrata Gautam
10	Khitiz Rupakheti

Naveen Adhikari

Executive Coordinator

SAESM Nepal

Application for 12th SAESM, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Call for Application for 12th SAESM, Colombo, Sri Lanka

(December, 2015)

SAESM Nepal invites application from undergraduate (Economics) Nepali students for 12th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM) to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka during late December.  The Department of Economics of the University of Colombo is hosting this year event. Please find the details of the call below and this year conference theme is “South Asia in the Asian Century - For a pragmatic strategic vision for South Asian prosperity through economic integration”. The deadline for concept note and full paper is August 20, 2015 and should be sent to saesm.nepal@gmail.com. Please mention the category you wish to participate in subject of email. Please note that those willing to participate on paper presentation category should send "concept note or full paper" along with your covering letter while you just need to send a covering letter for Budding and Quiz category. SAESM Nepal will make final selection of student within next week of deadline. The selected participants then are expected to submit preliminary version of full (revised) paper by End of September.

Had there any query, please send email to saesm.nepal@gmail.com.

Visit www.saesm-nepal.blogspot.com for further details.

About SAESM

South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM) is organized by a network of team involving individuals and the institutions they represent. The SAESM, the only forum for young economists in the SAARC countries, provides a unique platform for undergraduates of economics streams for networking, knowledge sharing, and fostering a collective understanding in issues of and formulating strategies for a South Asian economic development and prosperity. The SAESM, since its inauguration in Delhi in 2004, has continued its unbroken legacy as an annual meet and has established as an important event in the academic calendar of all South Asian universities. SAESM has been hosted by different member institutions across South Asia in the city of Delhi, Lahore, Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu and Thimpu at various years. The SAESM visions this important event as one to groom young economists as an unorthodox force to reckon within the South-Asian development and beyond. The SAESM’s contribution towards professional development of young undergraduates has been most noteworthy. It has groomed hundreds of young undergraduates professionals to deliberate at international fora also provides each undergraduate a distinctive opportunity for skills enhancement, team work, leadership and to develop confidence and provide hands-on global exposure.

Participation

This year event will include a team of 10 students and 2 faculties from Nepal. Six students should write and present a research paper on a sub theme, such that, all the sub themes are covered. Remaining four participants should participate both in the Budding Economist and quiz competition. However, the Budding Economist Competition is open to other participants too. The final decision about participation will be made by SAESM Nepal team for Nepali Delegates.

Participation Category

Categories	Selection Criterion	Number of Students to be selected
Paper Presentation	Each need to write on either of topic listed below	6
Budding and Quiz	Need to write a paper, Sit in examination	4
Faculties		2
Total		12

For submission of Concept note: follow http://saesm-nepal.blogspot.com/2012/09/guideline-for-writing-concept-note.html

Call for Research papers

The student wishing to participate on "Paper Presentation Categories" should submit a full paper or concept note relating to following broad theme

1.     Interregional and intraregional FDI flows
2.     Managing resources for a sustained South Asian development and prosperity
3.    Trade integration as a regional strategy for an Asian competitiveness
4.   Intra-regional trade and exchange as a key strategy for alleviating rural poverty
5.   Human skills development for fostering a regional competitive advantage
6.    Political Economic dimensions and strategies for regional integration of looking beyond South Asia.

SAESM Nepal team

Prof. Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal- Chairman

Naveen Adhikari- Executive Coordinator

Khagendra Katuwal- Member

Baburam Karki-Member

Nirmal K Raut-Member

Event Logistics

The host country will provide travel fare from the respective capital cities of each country to Colmbo. All the registered participants will be provided with food, shared accommodation and local transportation during the conference. However, each participant need to pay a sum of 150 USD as registration fee for retreat.

CALL FOR PAPERS AND PROPOSALS (11 SAESM, THIMPHU-BHUTAN)

CALL FOR PAPERS AND PROPOSALS

SAESM Nepal invites concept note or full paper from undergraduate Nepali students for 11^th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM) to be held in Thimphu, Bhutan during December 24-29, 2014. Please find the details of the call below and this year conference theme is “South Asian Integration: Prospects and Challaenges”. The deadline for concept note and full paper is August 31, 2014 and should be sent to saesm.nepal@gmail.com. SAESM Nepal will make final selection of student within next week of deadline and the full (revised paper) should be submitted by End of September.

Had there any query, please send email to saesm.nepal@gmail.com.

Visit www.saesm-nepal.blogspot.com for further details.

About SAESM

South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM) is an independently organized, World Bank supported academic event, involving undergraduate economics students from South Asian Countries. SAESM conference provides a unique platform to the young economics brains from South Asia to come together and share their views and opinions on the thematic issues. Each SAESM has a particular theme that is relevant and related to the political economy of South Asia. SAESM conference started in 2004 with New Delhi being the host city. In 2013, 10th SAESM was held in Lahore, Pakistan. Colombo, Dhaka and Kathmandu have been other venues for SAESM. Afghanistan is the newest member of this club, which joined it in 2013. SAESM is organized by a steering committee consisting of the country coordinators.

Theme

Regional Integration and collaboration is undergoing a consolidation in recent times. In all the regions of the contemporary world, including Asia, there is a growing trend of market consolidation through regional collaboration in the form of bilateral and regional trade agreements. Regional cooperation and integration facilitates market expansion and create trade opportunities. Extent of market integration in South Asia lags far behind other regions, even though there is higher potential for integrated trade and investment. Evidence suggests that intra-regional trade among the SAFTA members is not increasing significantly. At Present, intra-regional trade in South Asia accounts for only about five percent of its total global trade, while it is about 65% for EU, 50% for NAFTA and 25% for ASESAN. SAESM 2014 aims to explore the potential of regional integration and identify its prospects and challenges.

Participation

Each member country shall be represented by a team of 10 students and 2 faculty members. Six students should write and present a research paper on a sub theme, such that, all the sub themes are covered. Remaining four participants should participate both in the Budding Economist and quiz competition. However, the Budding Economist Competition is open to other participants too. Two students, from among the research paper presenters, shall also participate in a panel discussion. Alongside the main competitive events, there will be an additional open essay competition sponsored by Prodyot Elaborate, a US based consultancy firm. Participation in this essay competition is voluntary.

Call for Research papers

Sub Theme 1: Linkages between Trade, Development and Poverty Alleviation

Trade affects poverty in multiple ways through its effect on economic growth, employment generation and income distribution. The relationship between trade and growth, and, trade and poverty is predominantly envisaged through an export-led growth strategy. A pro-poor growth policy has a greater impact on reducing poverty, than growth per se. The benefits of economic growth resulting from international trade can positively impact the poor through increased spending in health, education and social welfare, an increase in employment opportunities and the acquisition of new skills and technologies. Trade can also negatively impact poor through increased influence of transnational corporations on domestic economic and political decision making, loss of employment opportunities in formerly protected industries, exploitation of vulnerable and marginalized groups and increased environmental degradation.

Paper presenters can work to identify set of conditions, which, if satisfied, would help in creating a system that would transmit benefits of trade and liberalization to the poor. They can investigate various dimensions of the issue- channels of such linkages, policy orientation, impact assessment, policy and institutional constraints and trinity of trade, labor markets and unemployment with a South Asian perspective. The followings are some of the specific questions that can be explored: - What are the channels through which trade affects poverty in South Asia? What are the channels through which trade affects development? Can trade lead to pro-poor growth? Will a more integrated South Asia reduce inequality?

Sub Theme 2: Cost of Economic Non-Cooperation to the Consumers in South Asia

Intra-regional trade of South Asia has been very low. In last 20 years, share of intra-regional trade in South Asia has remained constant at about 5% of its total global trade. Due to non-cooperation, billions of dollars flow out of the regional every year. It is important to analyze the cost the consumers are bearing due to non-cooperation and pro protectionist policies. South Asian countries fare poorly in terms of trade liberalization and concomitant consumer welfare enhancement efforts. There is hardly any discussion at the political level on the benefits that enhanced intra-regional trade would bring to the consumers of this region. It is this vacuum that primarily needs to be addressed in this conference. Paper presenters can analyze the impact of non-cooperation or proprotectionist policies on prices, real income and poverty; assess the cost in terms of loss of consumer‟s welfare (or, potential impact of integrated South Asia on consumer welfare) and identify top priorities for South Asian regional integration from a consumer‟s perspective.

Sub Theme 3: FDI and Technological Transfers within South Asia

Share of SAARC in global FDI inflows is very minuscule, about 0.6%. Within SAARC, FDI from outside is far more important than the FDI from within the region. Even the share of intra-regional FDI is not significant, although, there are inter country variances. Both the theory and evidence from regional associations suggests that measures that reduce trade costs among member countries tend to depress horizontal FDI and promote vertical FDI. Role of FDI in the transfer and diffusion of technology for sustainable development within the region is far below its potential. While the intra-SAARC trade has been more extensively analyzed, FDI-trade and FDI-technological transfers have received little research attention.

The paper presenters can assess the existing FDI policy frameworks, analyze the factors that affect FDI inflows, review the trends in the intra-regional FDI inflows, identify channels of technological transfers and their effectiveness, assess the impact of FDI on productivity, employment and wages and establish whether intra-regional FDI substitute the trade.

Sub Theme 4: Trade Facilitation and Competitiveness in South Asia

Poor cross border trade infrastructure is one of the major reasons of low level of competiveness for intra-regional trade in South Asia. There are numerous hurdles in trade facilitation, hindering the promotion of intra-regional trade within SAARC. The lack of harmonized transport systems, frequent reloading of goods, port congestion, complicated customs clearance procedures, non-transparent administrative procedures are most binding trade facilitation constraints. A major part of this region is landlocked without easy access to major seaports. The lack of efficient road and rail network further adds to the transaction cost of trade.

Paper presenters can measure the transaction cost of intra-regional trade, evaluate the impact of trade logistics on competitive advantage, examine how the policy regulation and infrastructure impact trade facilitation, judge the potential of trade corridors and identify challenges and opportunities for trade facilitation.

Sub Theme 5: Political Economy of Regional Cooperation in South Asia

Attempts for regional integration have witnessed vastly dissimilar performances; some have experienced remarkable growth in trade and cooperation among members, while others have achieved little. Studies reflect that performances differ because of the differences among regional association in terms of objectives they aim to achieve, balance of power among member states, and political structures and processes of decision-making within individual member states. Extremely skewed balance of power and near hostile relations among its member states has stunted its effectiveness. SAARC nations need to dispel the atmosphere of distrust and suspicion, and build cordial relations. There is also a need to empower the regional institutions to function as a competent facilitator of cooperation in South Asia. Paper Presenters can examine the factors that restrict regional cooperation (such as domestic dynamics of trade between India and Pakistan), identify trade conditions necessary to mainstream trade into national development strategy, level of vertical

Sub Theme 6: South Asia in Global Perspective

South Asia is a strategically important region. It is home to more than a fifth of the world‟s population. South Asia has been one of the fastest growing regions in past decades. In future too, it will significantly affect the pace and pattern of global development. Strong intra-regional cooperation can significantly improve the collective bargaining power of the South Asian countries in global trade negotiations. Future of South Asia lies not only in expanding intra-regional cooperation but also in expanding inter-regional cooperation.

Paper presenters can analyze potential role of South Asia in global economy, examine the potential role that FDI can play to facilitate greater integration of South Asia into global economy, identify what lessons can be learnt from other regional associations such as ASEAN and EU and examine possible advantages of looking beyond South Asia.

Format for Submission

1) Maximum word limit for a complete paper is 4000 words

2) Authors should follow the APA style for referencing and in-text citation.

3) Font: Times New Roman, font size: 12; with 1.5 line spacing; and standard (1 inch) margins.

4) Any tables and figures included should be numbered, and should be in black and white.

5) A title page should include the sub-theme title, paper title, names of the author, institution and country respectively, and the date.

6) A Papers should have an abstract, which should not exceed a world limit of 150

Evaluation Criteria  

All the authors of research papers shall have to make a 15 minutes presentation of their papers. A research paper shall be evaluated for 100 marks (65 marks for the paper and 35 marks for presentation).

Panel Discussion

A country team consisting of two students, from among the paper presenters, shall also participate in a panel discussion on the theme „South Asian Integration: Prospects and Challenges‟. Each member of a team will be given five minutes to present his/her views, followed by a question answer session. The event aims to evaluate the ability of young economists to comprehend the issue, discuss it logically and adhere to ethical values while undertaking such discussions. Best team will be selected by a panel of judges.

Quiz Competition

Each country shall have a team of four participants for the quiz competition. The quiz competition will consist of five rounds, of which, three rounds will be on economic theories and concepts (Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Development Economics) and a round each on South Asia and general awareness. Each participant of the quiz competition shall also participate individually in the Budding Economist competition.

Budding Economist of South Asia

All participants can compete in the Budding Economist competition. This is a competition that seeks to test individuals on a variety of skill sets. The Budding Economist competition will consist of following events:

1) Essay competition: each participant shall submit an essay on “How the greater regional cooperation will change the lives of people in South Asia?” Authors are expected to provide real examples or anecdotes to support their views. Essay should not exceed 4000 words.

2) Written test: on microeconomics, macroeconomics and development economics

3) Visual Round: Discuss an image shown to them by applying any economics theory and vocabulary.

4) Panel Interview: answer questions from a panel of judges in the final event of the meet.

Marks obtained by a participant in each event shall be carried forward. First round of elimination will be done by combining the marks of the essay and test. Top twenty participants will qualify for the next round and take part in the visual round. Top seven

participants will proceed to the final round of panel interview. A participant with highest aggregate marks shall be declared the winner.

Open Essay Competition

All the participants are invited to submit an essay on “Risk Management in Financial Institutions‟ The essay shall not exceed 4000 words. Best three essays will be awarded a cash prize. Authors of best three essays shall have to make a power point presentation on their work. Each presenter shall have not more than 8 slides to be presented in five minutes.

Risk management within financial institutions has traditionally focused only on the financial risk management aspect. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, banks are implementing enterprise risk management (ERM) framework to strengthen their internal processes and practices for risk identification and monitoring. Given this backdrop, authors need to address issues such as - the extent to which banking sector in their country has strengthened its risk management practices since the financial crisis, and, whether enhance regulations and robust risk management processes within the financial sector help identify systemic risk and circumvent a financial crisis in future.

Submission Deadlines

All the research papers and essays shall be submitted to the conference organizers not later than November 20, 2014.

Retreat

After three days of rigorous academic activities, the participants will have three days of retreat (27-29 December, 2014). Retreat will provide an opportunity to witness the pristine nature and unique cultural heritage of the Land of peaceful Dragon. Retreat will allow the participants to visit famous Dzongs and Monasteries in historical cities of Thimphu, Punakha and Paro. Like academic events, retreat also forms a compulsory part of the conference. Every participant including faculty members shall have to pay a registration fee of US$ 150, to meet the cost of retreat.

SAESM Nepal team

Prof. Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal- Chairman

Naveen Adhikari- Executive Coordinator

Khagendra Katuwal- Member

Baburam Karki-Member

Nirmal K Raut-Member

Event Logistics

The host country will provide travel fare from the respective capital cities of each country to Paro. All the registered participants will be provided with food, shared accommodation and local transportation during the conference. Other costs borne (such as visa fees, internal travel in home countries, and discretionary spending during the event) shall not be reimbursed. Further details, including visa processing and travel logistics, will be communicated to the country coordinators at an appropriate time. The country coordinators shall disseminate such information to all the participants.

CALL FOR PAPERS OR PROPOSAL (10th SAESM)

SAESM-NEPAL would like to invite full papers or proposal from Nepali undergraduate economics students for the upcoming regional event-10 South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM) to be held in Lahore, Pakistan in December, 2013. The South Asian Economics Students Meet is a yearly conference of undergraduate students of economics from across South Asia, hosted by a network of South Asian universities. This year Lahore University of Management Sciecnes (LUMS) is hosting the event. Last year, SAESM Nepal, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University hosted the event in Nepal in December. SAESM Nepal is being coordinated by a team of faculties from Central Department of Economics(CEDECON), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal under the leadership of Prof. Bishwambher Pyakuryal.

SAESM Nepal Team

Prof. Bishwambher Pyakuryal, Coordinator

Mr. Naveen Adhikari(Member Secretary), Lecturer, CEDECON, TU

Mr. Baburam Karki(Member), Lecturer, CEDECON, TU

Mr. Khagendra Katuwal (Member), Lecturer, CEDECON,TU

Mr. Nirmal K. Raut( Member), Lecturer, CEDECON, TU

All undergraduate students with strong knowledge on economics are called to submit their concept note or full papers by end of September, 2013 to address saesm.nepal@gmail.com with cc to nabueco@gmail.com. The guidelines for preparing concept is available on same blog (http://saesm-nepal.blogspot.com/2012/09/guideline-for-writing-concept-note.html). The selection committee will then make final selection for participation. All selected students must submit their full and final papers  by November, 2013. The details are provided below, yet had there any query, write email to saesm.nepal@gmail.com.

Details of 10th SAESM

There are three events planned this year, with some important changes to existing rules. As in previous years, a total of ten students from each country team will participate, accompanied by two faculty members.  

Six participants from each country will write and present individual research papers on six sub-themes in the area of political economy. The remaining four participants from each country will together participate in a quiz competition. 

Participation in the prestigious Budding Economist of South Asia event will be mandatory for all students participating in the quiz competition; it will be optional for students presenting papers. The objective is to allow all students the chance to participate in this event. 

Further details of all three events follow below. 

Call for Research Papers The questions listed under each theme are only suggestive and meant to help the students explore areas and questions within the themes. It is not intended that authors attempt to answer all of them in one paper, nor does the inclusion of these questions here suggest that there aren’t different and possibly better questions for exploration under these themes. The themes are: 

A - The political economy of access to capital What is the importance of capital to economic growth? What are the constraints to the free availability of capital to all? What determines the ease of access to capital for various economic agents? How do formal and informal rules impact access to capital? How do non-economic factors such as race, ethnicity and family networks determine the extent of access to capital? What has been South Asia’s experience with microfinance? What can be done to improve the access to capital for disadvantaged groups?

               

   B – The political economy of energy and natural resource use How does access to energy, and to natural resources such as surface and subsurface water, clean air, minerals, forests, and other natural resources impact economic decisions in other spheres? How is access to these resources determined? How do economic decisions and the political process impact the production, protection and maintenance of natural resources and the environment in South Asia? 

C – The political economy of modernization What is the role played by the political process in determining how a country attempts to move towards modernity? How is urbanization changing the politics of resource allocation in South Asia? What determines government policies towards the agricultural, industrial and service sectors? How are attitudes towards modernization formed in different social groups, and how do these attitudes in turn impact economic policy? 

D – The political economy of public finance What processes determine a government’s economic role? How do public perceptions and opinions shape government expenditures? How has the size of government changed in South Asia, and what has been its impact? How has politics influenced the privatization process? How have taxes for various sectors been determined in various countries of South Asia? How have taxes caused distortion of resource allocation? What are the political costs associated with different forms of government financing? What formal checks and informal costs limit the government’s ability to print money in South Asia? How can South Asian countries increase the tax net and reduce reliance on indirect taxation?  

E – The political economy of social security What factors determine the level of social insurance and old-age benefits in South Asia? What have been the biggest challenges to South Asia’s provision of basic social security (such as food, housing, health and education) to disadvantaged groups? Do elected officials favor the provision of some types of social security over others? What political processes determine the level of inter- generational transfers within South Asia? 

F – The political economy of international trade How do countries determine the rules and processes through which they conduct international trade? What is the role of domestic politics in shaping international trade? How does trade influence international conflict in South Asia? What is the role played by international institutions in shaping South Asian countries’ trade patterns? 

Guidelines: • Authors should follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style for referencing and in-text citation.  

• The formatting must be Times New Roman, size 12 font; with 1.5 line spacing; and standard (1 inch) margins. Page numbers should be included. 

• Any tables and figures included should be numbered, and should be in black and white. 

• A title page should include the theme title, paper title, names of the author, institution and country respectively, and the date, as well as an abstract. 

• It is recommended that papers consider including a statement of the problem/research question; literature review; methodology; results and discussion, and conclusions and recommendations. The actual structure of papers may differ according to whether a case study, literature review, theoretic, or empirical study is attempted. It is strongly recommended that students consult their professors and

country coordinators to understand proper structuring, as well as studying how academic journal articles are structured. 

• Your work will be judged first and foremost on the level of its economic content. This means that it must be clear upon reading the paper that the author has had training in economic science, and is making distinctly economic arguments. While other aspects of writing, such as structure, clarity, style, topical content and relevance to South Asia are also important, we wish to stress this first criterion, since students sometimes fail to address it sufficiently. 

Quiz Competition Each country will field a team of four participants in the quiz competition. The competition will consist of questions about economics of both an academic and general nature. Past competitions have tested participants on a wide set of questions, ranging from general questions about classical works, Nobel Laureates, and significant recent contributions to testing knowledge about specific definitions, models and equations. 

Each participant of the quiz competition must also participate individually in the Budding Economist competition. 

Budding Economist of South Asia All participants are eligible to compete in the Budding Economist competition this year. This is a competition that seeks to test individuals on a variety of skill sets. Participants must submit a three-page essay; take a written test of their knowledge of microeconomics, macroeconomics and development economics; participate in a visual round in which they will have to discuss the economic aspects of an image of an everyday object; and finally answer questions from a panel of judges in the final event of the meet. 

The essay is due November 15th, and the topic is: “Can South Asia experience economic reform without political revolution?” A panel of judges will evaluate the essays. Marks on the essay will be carried forward, and no eliminations will be done at this stage. 

During the event, all participants will take the written test. The first elimination will be done by combining the results of the test with the essay marks. About twenty students will then take part in the visual round, and the top seven will proceed to the final interview stage. 

Retreat A 2-3 day recreational retreat after the conference is an integral part of the SAESM experience. This is a chance for students from across the region to interact more closely, learn about their similarities and differences, and develop ties across borders.  

The retreat is compulsory for all participants, and is not subsidized. The cost of the retreat is included in the registration fee. Further logistical details about the retreat will follow later.