Financing Women-led SMEs (WSMEs) Research Conference

The conference aims to promote new research and evidence on gender, entrepreneurship, access to finance and the “missing middle” in developing economies. It will also provide a platform for academics, practitioners and policy makers to network and discuss how to  bring  research  findings  to  the  design  and  implementation  of  projects.  Academic  paper  sessions  will be accompanied by policy-oriented sessions aimed at determining specific evidence gaps on selected focus topics. The conference will catalyse efforts to generate new evidence, and determine key objectives and milestones going forward. Papers are invited on the following (non-exhaustive) list of topics:

• Access to credit for women-led SMEs (WSMEs)
• Blended finance, digital finance, and FinTech
• Growth and job creation at WSMEs
• Business training and bundled services
• Sex-disaggregated data
• Gender norms and entrepreneurship
• Institutional barriers to women’s entrepreneurship
• Gender specific investment climate reforms
• WSME’s and finance in conflict zones, natural disasters  

The symposium will feature a Keynote Address by Prof. Dean Karlan, Professor of Economics and Finance, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and Chief Economist, USAID.