May 11, 2026 to May 12, 2026
LUMS
The Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad (CNM) Department of Economics at LUMS invites submissions for its conference on Gender and the Economy. The conference aims to bring together scholars working on gender-related economic questions, with a particular emphasis on rigorous, policy-relevant, and contextually grounded research.
The CNM Department of Economics has a long-standing commitment to high-quality research on gender and development, labour markets, human capital, and social and economic inequality. Faculty research from the department has contributed to leading academic debates and informed policy discussions in Pakistan and beyond. Building on this tradition, the conference will provide a platform for scholarly engagement on how gender shapes, and is shaped by, economic and social institutions, markets, and public policy.
Conference Themes
We invite papers that examine gender as a central axis of economic and social inquiry, broadly defined. Submissions may adopt a wide range of methodological approaches, including but not limited to theoretical or applied economics, econometrics, experimental and quasi-experimental methods, qualitative and mixed-methods research, computational and data-driven approaches, and such disciplinary perspectives as sociology, political science, public health, law, anthropology, or information and computer science. While methodological and disciplinary pluralism is encouraged, gender should be the primary analytical lens rather than a secondary dimension.
Relevant themes include, but are not limited to:
1. Households and Labour Markets
- Paid, unpaid, and care work
- Agriculture and rural livelihoods
- Firms, credit markets, entrepreneurship and enterprise growth
- Digital platforms and e-commerce
2. Investments in Human Capital Formation
- Health and nutrition
- Education
- AI, upskilling and reskilling
- Tech-based interventions
3. Institutions, Governance and Bureaucracy
- Public goods provision
- Bureaucracy and political representation
- Social protection
- Land and asset ownership
- Taxation and public finance
4. Structural and Macro Factors
- Debt financing and gendered budgeting
- Trade, exports, and economic growth
- Climate change, environmental shocks, and gendered vulnerabilities and adaptation
Submission Details
All submissions must take place through this form.
We invite submissions to two presentation formats: Long Presentations and Lightning Round Presentations. Authors will be asked to indicate their preferred presentation format at the time of submission. The final assignment of presentation formats will be made by the conference organising committee, taking into account the authors stated preferences and overall program considerations. Long Presentations will be allocated approximately 30 minutes, while Lightning Round Presentations will be short (around 10 minutes, without Q&A).
We particularly encourage submissions that engage with Global South contexts, policy relevance, and under-studied populations, and those by graduate students and early-career researchers.
Panel: To submit a panel for consideration, please share a title, the name of the chair, up to two discussants, a short abstract of what the panel entails (up to 300 words), and 3-4 individual abstracts of papers (up to 200 words each) which will be presented and discussed under this panel. All panels will have a time bar of 90 minutes.
Individual Papers: Both completed/working papers (of at least 2,500 words) and extended abstracts (of 500 words) are welcome.
Important dates
Submission Deadline: February 15, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: March 16, 2026
Conference Dates: May 11-12, 2026
Travel and Accommodation
Presenters will receive travel support in line with LUMS Reimbursement Guidelines and based on Conference Committee decision.
For queries, please email: econ_conference@lums.edu.pk
