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

Register to watch the conference online here.

Register to attend the conference in-person here. 

Please note that, as venue space is limited, registration does not guarantee attendance at the conference. We will contact you before the conference to confirm your attendance. If you believe your in-person participation might be uncertain, we kindly ask you to choose the virtual option so that space is available for those who are certain to attend.

About the conference

We are pleased to announce the 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference, to be held in London, UK, on September 25–26, 2025. This annual event brings together researchers and practitioners to discuss frontier research on public finance, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

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

Keynote Address

We are pleased to feature 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 take 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.