CALL FOR PAPERS - Women in Leadership: Accelerating Development Outcomes

Matthias Doepke (LSE), Amanda Clayton (Berkeley), Rohini Pande (Yale University)

Thursday 10 September 2026 09:30 - Friday 11 September 2026 17:30

This event is both online and in person

CBG, Centre Building, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE

Many of our seminars and public events this year will continue as in person or as hybrid (online and in person) events. Please check our website listings and Twitter feed @STICERD_LSE for updates.

Unless otherwise specified, in-person seminars are open to the public. Please ensure you have informed the event contact as early as possible.

Those unable to join the seminars in-person are welcome to participate via zoom if the event is hybrid.

About this event

The Gender Department of the World Bank Group, the Gates Foundation, and LSE’s Hub for Equal Representation in the Economy are organizing the first edition of the Women in Leadership: Accelerating Development Outcomes conference.

Organised by

World Bank Gender Department, Gates Foundation and LSE’s Hub for Equal Representation in the Economy (H.E.R.).

In partnership with

African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET)
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD)
Center for Global Development (CGD)
Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR)
Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL)
Women in Economics in Latin America and the Caribbean (WELAC)

The Women in Leadership: Accelerating Development Outcomes conference invites submissions of research on women’s leadership and its impact on development outcomes. Causal evidence on policies and interventions that advance women’s leadership, as well as research examining the effects of women’s leadership on governance, economic performance, service delivery, and organisational outcomes. Submissions with a strong emphasis on developing country contexts and early career scholars are particularly encouraged.

Thematic Areas

We invite submissions of research on women’s leadership, with particular emphasis on causal evidence of policies and interventions that expand women’s preparation for and participation in leadership roles. Priority will be given to studies assessing women’s leadership impact on development outcomes, including but not limited to governance, economic performance, service delivery, and organisational outcomes in both the public and private sectors.

Submissions should relate to one of the following three thematic areas, which will guide the structure of the conference:

Women's leadership and governance outcomes
Policies and interventions that expand women’s leadership
The impact of women’s leadership on economic and organisational performance

How to Submit a Paper

Please click on the link below for more details on the thematic areas.

Submission deadline: Sunday 7 June 2026

Notification of Acceptances: 5 July 2026

Please submit your paper via the submission portal: Submit your paper here

For further information please contact Lubala Chibwe, by email: l.chibwe@lse.ac.uk.

This event will take place in CBG, Centre Building, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE.

The building is labelled CBG on the map.