The World Bank and Lingnan College of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou are partnering for the fifth annual Infra4Dev Conference, to be held on the 15th and 16th May 2025 in Guangzhou, China.
The global infrastructure landscape is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, driven by rapid technological advancements and the pressing need for innovative and sustainable development solutions to foster inclusive and resilient growth and poverty reduction. Responding to this challenge, this conference will explore the broad spectrum of economic research and policy themes related to infrastructure, encompassing transportation, energy, digital, financing and guarantees, and urban development.
Among the key themes, the conference will address the need for better data and research on the returns from infrastructure investments to guide sound policy choices, the shift towards low-carbon and autonomous transportation to better connect people, the energy transition in the context of rapidly evolving climate change, the implications of AI, such as the surge in energy demand and the growing need for resilient digital networks and data centers, and the role digital technologies can play in supporting emission reduction, among others. All these developments are set against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, which is reshaping cityscapes, rural communities, and natural environments across developing countries. The conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and industry leaders to discuss how these intertwined challenges redefine the future of infrastructure in developing nations.
TOPICS
This call for papers seeks submissions from scholars around the world focusing on any aspects related to the transformative impacts of infrastructure, including, among others:
- The economic and social rate of return on infrastructure investments.
- The economic implications of low-carbon, autonomous transportation
- The role of disruptive technologies in energy transition.
- The impacts of growing digitalization and advances in artificial intelligence.
- The role of infrastructure in supporting sustainable urbanization.
- Financing innovation in the delivery of infrastructure services.
- The nexus between energy demand, decarbonization, and digital infrastructure.
- Investment in infrastructure for climate change adaptation and resilience
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The program will include a mix of contributed sessions with research papers selected from the submissions, invited sessions, and policy panels where academic findings, policy challenges, and lessons will be confronted.
