Newsletter

STEG Newsletter - May 2023

Dear All,

May comes to an end with the closing of the Sixth Small Research Grants and the Fifth PhD Research Grants funding calls. We are excited to begin evaluating applications and continue supporting high-quality research. On top of this, we have published a new policy brief and three new working papers. Don't forget to check them out! 

The Sixth Small Research Grants Call and Fifth PhD Research Grants Call are now closed, and we hope to give our applicants a decision by early August. Under our new call timeline, the Fourth Large Research Grants Call is scheduled to open in late June. 

This month we published a new STEG Policy Brief written by Small Research Grantee Tillmann von Carnap.

The STEG Working Paper Series has released three more papers this May! Find the papers below and on the STEG website.

Proposals from the Third & Fourth Ideas for Transformation Call are currently under evaluation with decisions expected by the end of June.

Lastly, don't forget to save the dates for upcoming calls and events in your calendar!

Best,

The STEG Team


New STEG Policy Brief!


Excuse me, where do I find the nearest market? Why do markets concentrate? Should policy connect marketplaces to large cities or local trade hubs?

This month we published a new STEG Policy Brief written by Small Research Grantee Tillmann von Carnap based on insights from Tillman’s recent STEG Working Paper 059.
 

PB04: Focal Points of Market Access: How Marketplaces Shape Rural Development over 50 years from Tillmann von Carnap
Marketplaces remain a widespread way of trading in rural areas of low-income countries. How do these gatherings shape development around them, and how can they be leveraged for rural transformation? Focussing on Kenya, I find that fewer marketplaces operate today than in 1970. At the same time, they formed nuclei of rural towns, especially so away from larger cities. To derive policy implications, I extend a model of rural-urban trade with marketplaces that aggregate sparse supply and demand and enable scale economies in transportation. The model explains when new markets emerge, why some decline, and which complementary policies catalyse marketplaces for local development. 

If you would like to submit your paper to the STEG Policy Brief Series, please contact the STEG Team at [email protected].

STEG Policy Briefs distil results and lessons from STEG-funded projects and longer synthesis papers into shorter non-technical articles that are easily accessible and quickly digested.

Policy briefs will be circulated widely through STEG’s network of policymakers and other stakeholders in order that the results and lessons from STEG-funded research can be incorporated into policymaking decisions more quickly.


New Papers under the STEG WP Series


Three new papers have been published under the STEG Working Paper Series in May! Check them out below:

In addition to these new articles, we have updated the following paper:

If you would like to submit your paper to the STEG Working Paper Series, please contact the STEG Team at [email protected].

Working papers that have been produced through STEG-funded projects are included in the series and we welcome papers from researchers directly affiliated with STEG as well as researchers' papers that have been presented at STEG-funded events including our Annual Conference and Theme Workshops.

The series is circulated widely through STEG’s network of researchers and policymakers in order that the results of the research receive thorough professional scrutiny and reach the hands of policymakers more quickly.

We look forward to collating more high-quality research under the STEG Working Paper Series as the STEG programme, and the research field more widely, progresses.


On STEG's Radar!


CEPR turns 40
May 26th marked 40 years of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). STEG is coordinated by CEPR. Over the next few months, CEPR will be inviting their 1700 Fellows and Affiliates, as well as their wider network, to join in on celebrating 40 years of 'research excellence, policy relevance'. Look out for more on CEPR’s social media channels and website.

Middle Eastern Universities Development Conference (MEUDC)
On November 6-8NYU Abu Dhabi will host their first series of annual conferences on sustainable economic development in the middle eastern region and surrounding regions.

This year, the conference will take place a few days prior  to COP 28, also in Abu Dhabi, and will focus on climate change and sustainability, and cover topics related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, low carbon growth, water challenges, and food security. Researchers are invited to submit papers related to these topics. Early-stage researchers from Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian universities are especially encouraged to apply.

The conference aims to cultivate high-quality research in the region and foster  meaningful interactions between researchers and policymakers.

To apply, please submit your paper here by 15th June. Decisions will be made and communicated by 7th July.


Important Dates


Calls under Evaluation
Third & Fourth Ideas for Transformation Call - decisions expected by end of June
Sixth Small Research Grants Call - decisions expected by early August
Fifth PhD Research Grants Call - decisions expected by early August
 

Future Call Timeline

Fourth Larger Research Grants Call - opening late June - closing mid-September
Seventh Small Research Grants Call - opening early September - closing mid-November
Sixth PhD Research Grants Call - opening early September - closing mid-November

Find the provisional call timeline for future calls here.

Upcoming Events

There are currently no upcoming STEG-funded events.


If you have any questions, please contact the STEG Team at [email protected].

Related content

STEG Project Policy Brief

Paternalistic Discrimination

Nina Buchmann, Carl Meyer, Colin D. Sullivan • Research Theme 0: Data, Measurement, and Conceptual Framing
STEG Working Paper Series

Paternalistic Discrimination

Nina Buchmann, Carl Meyer, Colin D. Sullivan • Research Theme 1: Firms, Frictions and Spillovers, and Industrial Policy