Publish date: 2011-11-11

Fourth Euro-African Conference on Finance and Economics to be held at the American University in Cairo

The Euro-African Conference in Finance and Economics (CEAFE) aims at offering African and European scholars in finance and economics the opportunity for an open dialogue and an exchange of ideas. It allows them to share their theoretical and empirical knowledge to better understand the economic and financial challenges that both continents face. The CEAFE provides a space for investigation and research of the new issues that have been brought on by the globalization of markets, the development of international trade and financial globalization.

In addition, the CEAFE aims at fostering collaboration between researchers and policy makers between the North and the South of the Mediterranean, consolidating existing cooperation such as the North-South projects, and initiating new productive projects.

The two fields of finance and economics have been linked and separate all at once. They are linked because it is impossible to consider economic problems such as investments, competition, growth and unemployment, to mention but a few, without taking into account the imperatives of profitability and financing. And separate because the financial sphere continues to rapidly disconnect itself from reality while dictating how businesses and states are to function in an economy that is more and more globalized.

These straightforward observations bring about quite a few questions:

•What are the advantages and disadvantages of financial liberalization?

•What is the impact of globalization of the economy on the employment market?

•What is the impact of financial markets on economic growth?

•The new financial risks: scandals, bankruptcy and financial crises...

•The role of developing economies in the new global economy...

•How to nurture dialogue and foster the exchange of expertise among economists and policymakers in Africa?

•How to tackle the economic and financial challenges that Africa and Europe face due to the recent momentous uprisings and the recent financial turmoil?

The CEAFE offers the chance to consider the new problems of organizing the markets and regulating them with more realistic assumptions. These new assumptions take into consideration the impact of individual rationality on the general equilibria, the existence of increasing yields, the externalities between different economic agents, etc. It is also an opportunity to tackle economic and financial problems that concern Europe and Africa specifically.

The CEAFE has been held every two years since 2006. The first and second meetings took place in the Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie. In 2010, the conference was hosted by Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. The American University in Cairo will host the conference at its new campus. From Monday, 07 May, 2012  to Wednesday, 09 May, 2012

The conference consists of parallel sessions where prominent scholars present papers that cover a wide range of topics in the fields of economics and finance. The conference includes plenary sessions given by distinguished speakers. Past distinguished speakers include Jean Gabszewicz (CORE, Belgium), Bernard Cornet (Paris 1, France), Marc Riedel (Bielefeld, Germany), Christian Gollier (Toulouse, France), Itzhak Gilboa (HEC Paris, France) and Jean Marc Robin (Paris 1, France).

For more information please go to http://conf.aucegypt.edu/Conferences/ConfHome.aspx?Conf=CEAFE%202012&Title=Home