Villa College is pleased to welcome economists, policy makers, and scholars from around the globe to Malé for the 31st International Input-Output Association (IIOA) Conference. This significant event, held alongside the 13th Edition of the International School of Input-Output Analysis, marks a historic milestone, celebrating the 75th year since the inaugural conference was held in 1950. As the largest conference of its kind ever hosted in the Maldives, and the IIOA's first return to South Asia in decades, it serves as a pivotal moment for stimulating the worldwide exchange of ideas in input-output analysis and its related methods.
The conference aims to promote worldwide exchange of ideas among economists, government officials, policy makers, engineers, national accountants and managers interested in input-output analysis and related economic methodologies. Villa College is the local partner in the Maldives organizing this landmark event of the conference, which is returning to South Asia after several decades.
Total 196 delegates from 38 countries will be attending the conference, out of which 88 are university students. Over 150 papers will be presented across 8 parallel sessions, covering a wide range of themes related to input-output analysis and modelling.
Leadership and Organization
The main organiser of IIOA Conference is the International Input-Output Association (IIOA). IIOA is a non-profit, scientific organisation founded in 1988. The objective of the IIOA is the advancement of knowledge in the field of Input-Output data compilation and analysis, including improvements in basic data, theoretical insights and modelling, and applications - traditional and novel - of Input-Output techniques.
From Villa College (Local Organizer), Dr. Ali Najeeb, Vice Rector Villa College is the Chair of Local Organising Committee (LOC). Supporting him as Vice Chair is Dr. Ibrahim Latheef, Dean of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies at Villa College, while Dr. Fazeela Ibrahim, Dean of the Institute for Research and Innovation, serves as Operational Lead.
The conference organization benefits from international expertise through Sanjiv Mahajan (LOC Support), the previous IIOA President and current Head of Methods and Research Engagement at the UK's Office for National Statistics. The Scientific Programme Committee will be chaired by Cuihong Yang from the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Distinguished Keynote Speakers
The conference will feature three prominent keynote speakers during its plenary sessions. Professor Robert Koopman, currently Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University's School of International Service, will deliver the opening keynote on Tuesday. His presentation, titled "From Trade Accounting to Geoeconomic Power: The Evolving Role of Input-Output Analysis in a Fragmenting World”, will explore how input-output analysis has gained new significance in understanding strategic vulnerabilities in global value chains amid growing strategic competition through trade, finance, and technology.
Professor Jing Meng from the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at University College London will present on Wednesday, focusing on "EMERGING MRIO developments for measuring the role of global South”. Her research excellence has earned her numerous accolades including the 2023 American Geophysical Union Global Environmental Change Early Career Award and recognition as an MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35.
On Thursday, Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham, Principal Statistician and Project Officer at the Asian Development Bank, will discuss "The Re-emergence of Leontief's Insight in a Globalized World”, highlighting how Wassily Leontief's seminal work remains crucial for understanding today's complex international interdependencies.
Educational Components and Young Scholar Development
Alongside the main conference, Villa College will host the 13th Edition of the International School of Input-Output Analysis (ISIOA), continuing a tradition that began in 2011. The school provides unique training opportunities in input-output analysis for attendees, particularly young scholars. This year's program features five comprehensive modules covering topics from historical roots and theoretical background to practical applications in global value chains, emissions accounting, and general equilibrium modeling.
The aim of ISIOA is to train younger scholars in the use of standard tools of I-O analysis in a broad sense and encouraging direct communication and/or collaboration between scholars and renowned researchers/ lecturers in the field. In addition, the ISIOA plays a relevant role in the support of international workshops for groups of scholars and/or researchers coming from areas in the world with a low tradition in I-O related studies and with manifested interest in advancing the field in a broad sense.
The conference also introduces several initiatives supporting emerging researchers. The Development Programme pairs young researchers with experienced discussants who provide detailed feedback on presentations, focusing not just on methods and data but also on paper structure, style, and positioning within existing literature. The Young Researchers' Night offers networking opportunities in an informal atmosphere, while the Flash Presentation Competition challenges participants to present their ideas in just four minutes with a maximum of three slides.
Academic Excellence and Innovation
The conference program showcases cutting-edge research across multiple domains. Sessions will explore environmental input-output modeling, examining topics such as carbon emissions from financial institutions, water scarcity assessment, and the environmental impacts of dietary patterns. Trade and global value chains feature prominently, with researchers presenting on critical minerals supply chains, digital trade restrictions, and the hidden structures of ICT value chains.
Digital input-output accounting represents an emerging field that will receive special attention, with sessions dedicated to measuring the digital economy's impact on growth and employment. Regional input-output modeling sessions will examine issues from scaling up 5G networks in India to constructing high-resolution maritime tables for China's bay areas.
Awards and Recognition
The conference will present the prestigious Leontief Memorial Prize for the best paper by young authors under 40, honoring Wassily Leontief who received the 1973 Nobel Prize for creating input-output economics. Authors must submit unpublished work combining theory and application, with the winning paper automatically considered for publication in Economic Systems Research, the IIOA's journal. Winners receive certificates and a monetary prize of $1,000.
Significance for the Maldives and South Asia
This conference represents a major achievement for Villa College and the Maldives, positioning the nation as a hub for advanced economic research and international academic exchange. The event will bring together leading economists, researchers, and policy makers from around the world, offering unprecedented opportunities for local scholars and students to engage with global experts in input-output analysis.
The timing is particularly significant as nations worldwide grapple with complex economic challenges including supply chain disruptions, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation. Input-output analysis provides essential tools for understanding these interconnected systems, making the conference's insights directly relevant to policy making in the Maldives and across South Asia.
Villa College's successful bid to host this conference demonstrates the institution's growing international reputation and its commitment to advancing economic research and education in the region. The conference will not only showcase the Maldives as a destination for major international academic events but also contribute to building local capacity in advanced economic analysis techniques that are crucial for evidence-based policy making in small island developing states.
