7th World Bank / ODI Global / IFS Public Finance Conference

About the conference

The 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference, held in London, UK, on September 25–26, 2025 brought together researchers and practitioners to discuss frontier research on public finance, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

The 2025 conference included sessions on tax audits and compliance, labour market formalization, progressive taxation, government accountability, and international tax reform. The agenda also featured country-focused sessions on Brazil and Uganda, highlighting recent research on tax policy, social protection, and development.

Keynote Address

The conference featured the following keynote presentations:

• Tim Besley, School Professor of Economics and Political Science and W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics at the London School of Economics.
• Annette Alstadsæter, Professor at the School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Format

The conference will took place in person in London, UK, on September 25-26 with streaming available for non-presenting attendees.

Academic Committee

Laura Abramovsky, Pierre Bachas, Anne Brockmeyer, Rishabh Choudhary, Lucie Gadenne, Pablo Garriga, François Gerard, Hazel Granger, Jonas Hjort, Christopher Hoy, Jonathan Karver, Justine Knebelmann, Kyle McNabb, Joana Naritomi, Marina Ngoma, Oyebola Okunogbe, David Phillips, Thiago Scot, Mahvish Shaukat, Dario Tortarolo, Yani Tyskerud, Ben Waltmann, Mazhar Waseem.

Visit the conference website here for the full agenda.