Dates
Thu–Fri, Sep 10–11, 2026
Venue
Nine Tree Premier ROKAUS, Yongsan
Format
Fully in-person
Contact
About the conference
The KDI School of Public Policy and Management and the World Bank's Development Impact Group (DECDI) are pleased to host the 7th Development Impact Conference in Seoul, Korea. The conference brings together researchers presenting rigorous impact evaluation work across the full range of development topics.
The call for papers closed on June 21, 2026. Authors will be notified after the selection process, which is based on paper quality and relevance to the conference topics.
Conference topics
01Climate, agriculture, food security
02Governance, conflict, and political economy
03Health, education, social protection
04Labor markets, unemployment, migration
05Finance, entrepreneurship, digital economy
06Gender, inequality, and social inclusion
07Artificial intelligence for development
Keynote speaker
Johannes Haushofer
Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Cornell University
His research spans development and behavioral economics. He is the founder of Busara, a non-profit advancing behavioral science for poverty alleviation, and Malengo, an organization facilitating international migration. He holds a BA from Oxford, a PhD in Neurobiology from Harvard, and a PhD in Economics from Zurich.
Agenda
— preliminary, subject to changeDay 1 · Thursday, September 10
Moderator: David Sungho Park
08:40–09:00Registration
09:00–09:10Welcoming remarks · Dean Joon-kyung Kim, KDI School
09:10–09:40Opening remarks · Arianna Legovini, World Bank DECDI
09:40–09:45Group photo
09:45–10:00Coffee break
10:00–11:00Gender, Inequality & Financial Inclusion · Panel 1Chair: Trinh Pham — Dongil Lee (KDIS), Girija Borker (DIME), Hisaki Kono (Kyoto)
11:00–11:10Break
11:10–12:10Education & Human Capital · Panel 2Chair: Dongil Lee — Carlos Alfredo Schmidt Padilla (UC Berkeley), Uyanga Byambaa (UC Berkeley), Benedetta Lerva (DIME)
12:10–13:30Lunch
13:30–14:10Keynote — Johannes Haushofer · Cornell University
14:10–14:30Coffee break
14:30–15:50Lightning session · Graduate-student presentationsChair: Girija Borker — Rajdev Kaur Brar (UC Berkeley), Jasmin Baier (Oxford), Weijian Zou (LSE), Hyunju Jeong (UC Davis), Piyush Gandhi (UC Santa Cruz), Mridul Joshi (Stanford), Bendi Devi (NUS), Saqib Hussain (KDIS)
15:50–16:10Coffee break
16:10–17:10Climate, Agriculture & Environment · Panel 3Chair: Chungeun Yoon — Raghav Raghunathan (Wageningen), David Sungho Park (KDIS), Xavier Gine (DECRG), Trinh Pham (KDIS)
Day 2 · Friday, September 11
Moderator: Dongil Lee
08:40–09:00Registration
09:00–10:00Migration & Remittances · Panel 4Chair: David Sungho Park — Till Nico Wicker (Academia Sinica), Daliah Al-Shakhshir (Stanford), Saravana Ravindran (NUS)
10:00–10:20Coffee break
10:20–11:40Labor Markets & Work · Panel 5Chair: Dahyeon Jeong — Jinseong Park (KDIS), Arlen Guarin (DIME), Sam Seo (DIME), Abdelrahman Nagy (UNU-MERIT & 3ie)
11:40–13:00Lunch
13:00–14:00Governance, Political Economy & Digital Innovation · Panel 6Chair: Sam Seo — Chungeun Yoon (KDIS), Minji Kwak (KDIS), Carolina Lopez (DECRG)
14:00–14:20Coffee break
14:20–15:20Social Protection & Poverty · Panel 7Chair: Minji Kwak — Mahreen Mahmud (Exeter), Dahyeon Jeong (DIME), Amol Singh Raswan (UC Berkeley)
Logistics & venue
Venue
Nine Tree Premier ROKAUS Hotel Seoul Yongsan
Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Open in Google Maps ↗
Getting there
The hotel is steps from Yongsan Station (KTX, Line 1). From Incheon International Airport, take the AREX train to Seoul Station, then one stop on Line 1 to Yongsan — about 75 minutes total. Taxis from the airport take roughly an hour.
Registration
Attendance is free but registration is required. The registration form will be posted here.
Link to be announced
Questions
For anything about the program, logistics, or presenting, get in touch with the organizing team.
ielab.kdis@gmail.com
Conference committee
KDI School and World Bank DECDI
Dongil LeeAssociate Professor, KDI School
David Sungho ParkAssociate Professor, KDI School
Jinseong ParkAssistant Professor, KDI School
Trinh PhamAssistant Professor, KDI School
Chungeun YoonAssociate Professor, KDI School
Dahyeon (DJ) JeongEconomist, World Bank DECDI
Hee Kwon (Sam) SeoEconomist, World Bank DECDI