CALL for PAPERS and BEST PAPER AWARD IN GEOECONOMICS for junior researchers

The Institute for European Policymaking @Bocconi University; the CEPR RPN in Geoeconomics and Security; and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy launch the 2nd edition of the Junior Workshop in Geoconomics and its Best Paper Award for junior researchers.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE 19 April 2026 at 5PM

CALL FOR PAPERS
We invite you to submit papers for potential inclusion in the Junior workshop in Geoeconomics that will take on June 10th 2026 at Bocconi University in Milan, especially encouraging young researchers (from PhD students to postdocs and assistant professors).

The main topics of interest are:
– General geoeconomic and geopolitical challenges, in particular with a focus on policy implications for Europe;
– Economics of conflict and policies for peace in the context of current geoeconomic and geopolitical transitions.

The Workshop is aimed at Junior Scholars (PhD candidates / PostDocs / Assistant Professors) not older than 35 years.
A prize of 3000 € will be awarded to the best paper submitted to the Workshop. If there are more authors, the prize shall be divided equally among all authors. Only authors under the age of 35 years will be considered for the Prize.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND DEADLINE
Applications must be received by the deadline of 19 April 2026 at 5pm. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from the competition. Candidates will receive a confirmation message to her/his e-mail address within a couple of days from the submission deadline.

SELECTION PROCESS
The Scientific Committee will be composed of :
― Daniel Gros IEP@BU
― Massimo Morelli Bocconi, IEP@BU
― Moritz Schularick CEPR and Kiel Institute and SciencePo
― Christoph Trebesch CEPR and Kiel Institute 

The Scientific Committee will be responsible for the selection procedure. To carry out the selection of papers and the determination of the final program, the Scientific Committee will be supported also by a Local Program Committee. The review process shall assess the quality of the paper, with a special focus on originality, academic rigor, potential impact and the relevance of the policy implications for the geo-economic challenges facing the European Union.

The final selection decision shall be taken by the Scientific Committee and shall not be subject to appeal.

The Local Program Committee will be composed of :
― Carlo Altomonte, Associate Professor of Economics, Università Bocconi
― Jan David Bakker, Assistant Professor of Economics, Univertità Bocconi
― Italo Colantone, Full Professor of Economics, Università Bocconi
― Livio Di Lonardo, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Università Bocconi
― Kerim Can Kavakli, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Università Bocconi

Authors of accepted papers will be notified by May 4th, 2026.

Authors of the awarded paper will be announced during the Workshop.

CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
Applications must be accompanied by the following documents (in file PDF format):
― Submitted paper
― A declaration that the lead author is below the age of 35 as of June 10.
― declaration of consent to handling of the candidate’s personal data pursuant to regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016
1. If the paper has been submitted for other prizes or grants, this circumstance must be mentioned in the application
2. Applicants shall indicate whether the submitted paper or parts thereof have already been published, and – if so – when and in which form
3. Papers and all the accompanying documents must be in English and in one file PDF format and must be submitted using the ONLINE FORM.
4. The submission implies a warranty by the Applicant that it has not infringed any third-party rights pertaining to the paper.