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WBG-IE University Conference / Growth and Resilience in Connected Economies

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Hybrid Academic / research Economics Foreign Trade Innovation and ICT

Thu, May 7, 2026 10:00 AM –

Fri, May 8, 2026 2:00 PM (GMT+2)

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The event is an academic research workshop hosted at IE University, co-organized by IE University and sponsored primarily by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a strategic partner of IE. The workshop will bring together leading economists from around the world and will be structured around 2 plenary sessions and 5 thematic sessions, one of which will be practitioner-oriented. The event combines frontier academic research with policy and practitioner perspectives. We plan to have an 90 persons attendance.



CONFERENCE AGENDA

                                                                                                                                                                           

Day 1: May 7, 2026

10.00-11.30      Session 1: Welcome and Keynote

Welcome Remarks

  • Manuel Muñiz, Rector (IE University)
  • Martin Raiser, Senior Representative for Europe (World Bank Group)

Introduction: Investing in Production Networks for Growth, Resilience, and Jobs

  • Speaker: Chiara Criscuolo (OECD)

Keynote Adress: Industrial Policy for Networks of Firms

The opening keynote will examine how trade and production networks shape the design and impact of industrial policy.

  • Speaker: Dave Donaldson (MIT)
  • Moderator: Chiara Criscuolo (OECD)

 

11.30-12.00      Coffee

 

12-00-13.30      Session 2: Knowledge and Technology Diffusion

The session will explore how production networks act as channels for knowledge transmission, how diffusion differs across firms and countries, and what this implies for upgrading in developing economies.

  • Chair:  Marco Giarratana (IE University)
  • Speakers:
    • Gianmarco Ottaviano (Bocconi)
    • Yulu Tang (London School of Economics)
    • Andreas Moxnes (University of Oslo)
  • Discussant: Luis Diestre (IE University)

 

13.30-14.30      Lunch

 

14:30-16.00      Session 3: Upgrading Supply Chains: The Role of Enabling Sectors

Production networks rely on enabling sectors that reduce frictions, improve coordination, and expand market access. The session highlights how investments in logistics, infrastructure, and market institutions can unlock upgrading along value chains — with important implications for private sector development strategies.

  • Chair: Pedro Gete (IE University)
  • Speakers:
    • Cian Ruane (Central Bank of Ireland)
    • Ameet Morjaria (MIT)
    • Ebehi Iyoha (Harvard)

 

  • Discussant: Manuel García-Santana (UPF)

 

16.00-16.30      Coffee

 

16.30-18.00      Session 4: Policy/Business Panel

This panel will bridge research and practice. With perspectives from development finance, industrial policy, credit market institutions, and business networks, the discussion will focus on questions related to how policy can strengthen domestic supplier linkages; how to crowd in private investment into production networks; how to balance competitiveness with resilience in a fragmented global environment.

  •  Panelists:
    • Chris Woodruff (University of Oxford and BII)
    • Roman Arjona (European Commission DG GROW)
    • Elena Herrero-Beaumont (Inbonis Rating)
    • Núria Vilanova (CEAPI)

 

  • Moderator: Martin Raiser, (World Bank Group)

 

19-20.30 Visit of Palacio de Liria (by invitation only)

 

21.00 Speaker's Dinner (by invitation only)


 

Day 2 – May 8, 2026

9:00-10:00         Session 5: Keynote Address Global Innovation with Global Firms

This keynote will examine the opportunities for growth and innovation in an interconnected world, and the importance of capable firms, efficient markets, and strong institutions for seizing those opportunities. It will draw implications for growth, trade and industrial policy through the lens of how heterogeneous firms participate and interact in global production networks.

  • Speaker: Kalina Manova (UCL)
  • Moderator: Paolo Mauro (World Bank Group)

 

10.00-11.30      Session 6: Competition, Platforms, and Networks

The session will explore how the rise of digital platforms, concentration, and competitive dynamics affect supplier access, market power, and opportunities for upgrading — raising key policy questions related to competition and regulation.

  • Chair: Mario Guadamillas (World Bank Group)
  • Speakers:
    • Juan Santalo (IE University)
    • Julia Cajal Grossi (Geneva Graduate Institute)
    • Martina Kirchberger (Trinity College Dublin)

 

  • Discussant: Annamaria Conti (IE University)

 

11.30-12.00 Coffee


12.00-13.30       Session 7: Geoeconomics and Production Networks

The session will examine how the evolving geoeconomic environment is reshaping production networks and will highlight the policy trade-offs involved in strengthening resilience while preserving long-term productivity growth.

  • Chair:  Roumeen Islam (IFC, World Bank Group)
  • Speakers:
    • Banu Demir (Oxford)
    • Matthew L. Elliott (Cambridge)
    • Piyush Panigrahi (World Bank Group)

 

  • Discussant: Davide Suverato (PSE)

 

13.30 Lunch and Farewell

 

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