The first Workshop of the Regional Integration Network (RIN) will be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, December 14-18, 2001. This Workshop is sponsored by LACEA and is organized by CERES (Center for the Study of Economic and Social Affairs).

The Workshop is a unique event that brings together top researchers, policymakers and trade negotiators from the North and the South to discuss recent theoretical and empirical advances in the economics and politics of Regional Integration Agreements (RIAs). The goal of these meetings is to use the findings of research in order to gain a better understanding of the problems, opportunities and policy challenges faced by Latin American countries in the process of integration and also to encourage further research on the subject.

The program will start on the evening of December 14th with a dinner and a keynote lecture and will continue the following day with the brainstorming sessions. Nine papers will be presented during the brainstorming sessions and each paper will be briefly commented by a discussant leaving ample time for general discussion. On December 18th there will be a roundtable discussion. The roundtable will be open to the public and will include policy makers as well as academics. It will preferably be in Spanish and the presentations will be policy oriented focusing on current problems and policy challenges related to RIAs in the region (for details on the program please visit http://www.ceres-uy.org/RIN2001).

A program committee formed by Guillermo Calvo, Robert Devlin, Sebastián Edwards, Ricardo Hausmann, Ernesto Stein and Ernesto Talvi will select nine papers and discussants for the brainstorming sessions as well as the four panelists for the roundtable. We welcome theoretical and empirical research relevant for understanding the economics and politics of RIAs (for convenience, a list of suggested topics is included in this Call for Papers which although not exhaustive will serve as a guide for Workshop participants). Both theoretical and policy oriented papers are welcomed. A special emphasis will be placed on attracting young scholars.

In order to participate in the Workshop it will be necessary to submit a paper or research project testifying to the author's research commitment to this field. Those invited to participate, however, will not necessarily be asked to present a paper. Actually, we anticipate that there will be more participants than the nine papers, nine discussants and four roundtable panelists that we will be able to accommodate during the Workshop. Thus, a basic requirement is your willingness to be an active participant during those four days.

For academic participants, we expect to be able to offer hotel accommodations and a round-trip economy class (most direct) airfare (air tickets should be purchased by the participant and they will be reimbursed in Montevideo accordingly). We urge you to find other sources of funds to cover other transportation costs, as we are running this on a very limited budget.

Academics and researchers currently occupying policy-making positions are welcome to participate in the Workshop without presenting a paper. However, these participants will have to procure the financing to participate in the Workshop from their own institutions.

Please, send us an email indicating your willingness to participate in the Workshop to RIN2001@ceres-uy.org. If you would like to present a paper, send also a title and an abstract. The submission deadline for papers and research projects is October 30th, 2001. Papers (rough preliminary drafts are acceptable) must be submitted in PDF format to the email account RIN2001@ceres-uy.org.

During the first meeting of the Regional Integration Network we hope to replicate the success of other LACEA Networks (the International Finance Camps, the Network on Poverty and Inequality and the Political Economy Network). We feel very enthusiastic about this new endeavor by LACEA and hope that the group we assemble will start a very fruitful exchange and become active in the public policy debate on RIAs. As an additional incentive, please note that Punta del Este is one of the most beautiful seaside resorts in the world, only 140 kms (about 90 miles) away from Montevideo and 25 minutes by plane from Buenos Aires's downtown airport.

Guillermo Calvo
LACEA's President and Chief Economist
InterAmerican Development Bank
Washington, DC
gcalvo@iadb.org

Ernesto Talvi
Executive Director
CERES
Montevideo, Uruguay
etalvi@ceres-uy.org

Regional Integration Network: Suggested List of Topics

I. The Economics and Politics of Regional Integration Agreements (RIA)

- Economic and Political Determinants of RIAs
- Political Economy dimensions of RIAs (e.g. should Mercosur or the Andean Community negotiate FTAA as a bloc or individually? Should RIAs be used as a trade liberalization strategy?)
- Dispute Settlement Mechanisms within RIAs

II. Trade Integration

- International Trade Rules, WTO, and Regional Trade Arrangements
- Effects of Trading Blocks on Global Liberalization

III. Monetary and Financial Integration

- Currency Unions
- Exchange Rate Harmonization
- Macroeconomic coordination

IV. Integration Beyond Trade

- Product Standards
- Labor Standards
- Environmental Standards
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Government Procurement
- Competition Policy
- Capital Markets Integration (insurance, banking, supervision)
- Tax Harmonization
- Investment Agreements

V. The Economic and Social Impact of Integration (as defined in II, III and IV)

- Trade Patterns
- Production Patterns
- Growth
- Technology Diffusion and Productivity
- Industrial Location and Spatial Agglomeration
- FDI
- Income Distribution
- Migration
- Employment