KDI School of Public Policy and Management and the World Bank's Development Impact Group (DECDI) are pleased to announce the 7th Development Impact Conference, to be held in Seoul, Korea on September 10–11, 2026. 

The conference brings together academic research and rigorous impact evaluations of development programs in developing countries, and convenes policymakers, development practitioners, donors, and researchers to discuss how to improve the effectiveness of development policies. While all development topics are welcome, we will give particular consideration to papers on the following topics:

 

🌍  Climate, Agriculture, Food Security

🏛️  Governance, Conflict, and Political Economy

🛡️  Health, Education, Social Protection

💼  Labor Markets, Unemployment, Migration

💳  Finance, Entrepreneurship, Digital Economy

⚖️  Gender, Inequality, and Social Inclusion

🤖  Artificial Intelligence for Development

 

The past conference programs can be found for 2025, 2024, and 2023.

We also invite graduate students to submit a research paper or extended abstract with preliminary findings for a lightning session, accompanied by a poster session providing further opportunities to share their research with conference attendees.

Keynote Speaker

We are excited to have Johannes Haushofer (Cornell) as our keynote speaker.

Submission Requirements

All submissions must be in English. Only complete paper drafts will be considered for the main conference sessions. Graduate students applying for the lightning sessions must submit either a full paper or an extended abstract. Applicants should fill out a form and submit their paper or extended abstract using [Google Form Link] by June 21, 2026. The conference will be fully in-person and remote presentations will not be considered. The selection process will be based on paper quality and relevance to the conference topics.

Paper Submission Link: https://forms.gle/k3k7NpA1KumwQVbe7

Important dates

Submission Deadline: June 21, 2026

Decision: July 20, 2026

Conference Dates: September 10-11, 2026

 

Travel Subsidies

Partial travel subsidies may be available for graduate students presenting in the lightning sessions. All submissions will be automatically considered for subsidies and we will communicate that decision by July 20, 2026.

 

Conference committee

The conference committee comprises individuals from KDI School and World Bank DECDI:

- Dongil Lee, Assistant Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

- David Sungho Park, Assistant Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

- Jinseong Park, Assistant Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

- Trinh Pham, Assistant Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

- Chungeun Yoon, Associate Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

- Dahyeon (DJ) Jeong, Economist, World Bank DECDI

- Hee Kwon (Sam) Seo, Economist, World Bank DECDI

 

Inquiries

ielab.kdis@gmail.com

Research Planning Division, KDI School of Public Policy and Management