2nd Finance and Productivity (FINPRO) Conference "Finance and Productivity During and After the Lockdown"

Attendance is free and open to everyone who has pre-registered up until April 24, 2022. Limited number of participants in person!

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked unprecedented aggregate demand and supply shocks across the globe. The international economic system experienced serious setbacks in investment and employment due to lockdowns and stalling trade. In response, a plethora of fiscal support measures for both households and firms and monetary stimulus policies have been launched to combat the economic fallout. We are keen to better understand the role of financial systems to channel these policies, whether financial intermediaries amplify or mitigate real economic shocks, and how agents in the financial system can ensure effective and efficient investment allocation over time. This perspective is key given longterm technology transformation in response to climate change and the digitalisation of labour. This conference seeks to enhance our understanding of how to facilitate a sustainable allocation of economic resources in a post-lockdown world.

Keynote lectures are given by:

• Thomas Philippon (Stern School of Business, New York University)
• Ufuk Akcigit (University of Chicago and IWH)

The Competitiveness Research Network (CompNet), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Finance department at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) invite submission for the 2nd FINPRO conference on the intersection of the two research fields of financial economics and productivity research. In line with our mission to connect researchers and (micro) data providers from both the realm of policy making and academia, we seek to attract papers of the highest academic quality that include, but are not limited to the following topics:

• propagation of financial shocks
• technology transformation in a locked-down world
• COVID-19 & digitalisation of the workplace
• green technologies in a post-pandemic world
• government involvement and investment allocation
• fiscal emergency measures and the cleansing effects of recessions
• financial stability and productivity growth

We welcome both empirical and theoretical contributions. Whereas we are particularly interested in studies that utilise CompNet data, this feature is not a prerequisite.

The pandemic situation permitting, the IWH will host the 2nd FINPRO conference as an inpresence event to take place at the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in Halle (Saale) on May 5/6, 2022. Travel and accommodation costs are reimbursed for speakers and discussants according to CEPR rules (coach airfare for representatives of academic institutions). There will also be a conference dinner upon invitation.

Papers should be submitted to FINPRO@iwh-halle.de by January 14, 2022. Decisions will be mailed to authors by January 28, 2022. We aim for a high-quality workshop with ample time dedicated to a selected set of around ten papers that are discussed by an expert in the field.

We assume that by submitting your paper and personal data, you agree that these information will be used exclusively for purposes of conference planning. The data and your paper will be passed to the scientific committee for the review process. After the conference, these data will be deleted.

Program committee:
Filippo di Mauro (CompNet), Çağatay Bircan (EBRD), Michael Koetter (IWH)