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Conference

Conference on Spatial Dynamics

Location

87 Trumbull Street
Room B120
New Haven, CT 06511

Date
Nov 14, 2025

Friday, November 14, 2025

Organized by Lorenzo Caliendo, Samuel Kortum and Fernando Parro

Recent empirical evidence has documented the importance of space and time in the adjustment​ processes of economies following economic shocks. Substantial progress has also been made in developing tractable quantitative dynamic spatial frameworks with rich geography, innovation, and forward-looking agents. These frameworks are beginning to be used for the quantitative evaluation of various empirical questions. Topics studied through these frameworks include labor market adjustments to import competition, the dynamic effects of trade and migration policies, the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects, the adjustment of agricultural markets to local and foreign shocks, the local and aggregate consequences of climate change, and more.

To showcase this work, apply it to tackle new questions, and to push the methodological frontier forward, the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics will host a research conference on November 14, 2025.

Agenda

* Speaker

Each presentation slot includes 30 minutes allocated to the speaker, followed by 10 minutes dedicated to the discussant.

Morning Session

Time Title Presented by Discussant
9:00 - 9:40 AM “Home, Sweet, Home? The Spatial Consequences of Return Migration” Lin Ma* (Singapore Management University), Chi Zhang (Shangdong University), Jipeng Zhang (Shangdong University) Klaus Desmet* (SMU)
9:40 - 10:20 AM “Unbalanced Financial Globalization” Damien Capelle (IMF), Bruno Pellegrino* (Columbia University) Dan Lu* (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
10:20 – 10:35 AM Coffee Break
10:35 – 11:15 AM “Human Capital Accumulation Across Space” Klaus Desmet (SMU), Dávid Krisztián Nagy (CREI), Esteban Rossi-Hansberg* (University of Chicago) Sharon Traiberman* (New York University)
11:15 – 11:55 AM “The 2025 Trade War: Dynamic Impacts Across U.S. States and the Global Economy” Andrés Rodríguez-Clare (UC Berkeley), Fedora A. Teti (ifo Institute), Mauricio Ulate* (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco), Jose P. Vasquez (LSE), Roman D. Zarate (UCSD) Samuel Kortum* (Yale University)
11:55 AM – 1:30 PM Lunch Break

Afternoon Session

Time Title Presented by Discussant
1:30 – 2:10 PM “Deep Learning Solution to Combinatorial Problems in Economics: Analytics and Probabilistic Approaches” Ji Huang* (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) and Jinghai Yu (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) Natalia Ramondo* (Boston University)
2:10 – 2:50 PM “Final Destination: International Spillovers from Migration and Refugee Policies” Paula Beltran* (IMF), Nicolas Fernandez-Arias (IMF), Carolina Osorio-Buitron (IMF) Luca David Opromolla* (North Carolina State University)
2:50 – 3:05 PM Coffee Break
3:05 – 3:45 PM “Trade and Intergenerational Income Mobility: Theory and Evidence from the U.S.” Italo Colantone (Bocconi University), Gianmarco I.P. Ottaviano (Bocconi University), Kohei Takeda* (National University of Singapore) Dávid Krisztián Nagy* (CREI)
3:45 – 4:25 PM “Migration, Residence Policies and Housing Market” Carlos Garriga* (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) and Yang Tang (Nayang Technological University) Elisa Giannone* (CREI)
4:25 – 4:40 PM Coffee Break
4:40 – 5:30 PM “Quantifying Decoupling in Global Production and Trade” Sheng Cai (City University of Hong Kong), Wei Xiang* (University of Michigan), Yu Zhao (City University of Hong Kong) Jingting Fan* (Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business)
6:30 PM Dinner - ZINC, 964 Chapel Street

Participants

David Argente
(Yale University)

Paula Beltran
(IMF)

Lorenzo Caliendo
(Yale University)

Klaus Desmet
(SMU)

Jingting Fan
(Cheung Kong GSB)

Tianyu Fan
(Yale University)

Pedro Feijo de Moraes
(Yale University)

Santiago Franco
(Boston University)

Carlos Garriga
(Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)

Elisa Giannone
(CREI)

Ji Huang
(The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Oleg Itskhoki
(Harvard University)

Samuel Kortum
(Yale University)

Shoki Kusaka
(Yale University)

Dan Lu
(The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Lin Ma
(Singapore Management University)

Carole Marullaz
(University of Zurich)

Dávid Krisztián Nagy
(CREI)

Luca David Opromolla
(North Carolina State University)

Fernando Parro
(University of Rochester)

Bruno Pellegrino
(Columbia University)

Sabrina Peng
(Yale University)

Maddie Penn
(Yale University)

Natalia Ramondo
(Boston University)

Esteban Rossi-Hansberg
(University of Chicago)

Peter Schott
(Yale University)

Kohei Takeda
(National University of Singapore)

Weiliang Tan
(NBER)

Pamela Torola
(Yale University)

Sharon Traiberman
(New York University)

Mauricio Ulate
(Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)

Diana Van Patten
(Yale University)

Meili Wang
(Yale University)

Wei Xiang
(University of Michigan)

Ziqing Yan
(Yale University)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to the conference location from the Omni Hotel?

The conference will be held in the B120 Classroom and Atrium at 87 Trumbull Street. It is about a 15 minute walk from the Omni Hotel. The easiest route is to head northwest and cut diagonally through the New Haven Green to College Street. Follow College Street until it merges onto Prospect Street, then take a right onto Trumbull Street. 87 Trumbull Street will be on the left side of the street (see map below). 

How can I connect to the Yale Wi-Fi network while attending a conference?

Yale provides visitors two Wi-Fi network options:

  • YaleGuest
  • Eduroam

YaleGuest is a public, insecure wireless network available for anyone’s use, but has limited network access. Due to security reasons, certain programs and functionality may not be accessible via the YaleGuest network, e.g., Dropbox, Skype, and Box.

If possible, we recommended you use the Eduroam wireless network. Eduroam (education roaming) is a secure, world-wide roaming access service that allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity across campuses when visiting other participating institutions.

If your institution is a partner, access the Eduroam network by selecting Eduroam from the Wi-Fi list on your mobile device and sign-in using your home institution’s credentials*. View Eduroam’s complete listing of U.S. participating schools; International visitors can look for institutional listings on this country page.

For additional details, please contact your institution’s IT department or search your institution’s support page.

*Credential format is typically ID@UniversityName.edu, e.g., YaleNetID@yale.edu or SUNetID@win.stanford.edu.

What can I do in New Haven during my stay?

Yale and New Haven offer many attractions to bide your time while in the Elm City. Below is a list of a few:

Yale Attractions

New Haven Attractions

Performing Arts

 

Where can I find a campus map?

The Cowles Foundation is located in the heart of Yale’s campus at 30 Hillhouse Avenue. Use the Yale campus map to help find your way around.

Who do I contact in case of an emergency?

In cases of emergency, contact the appropriate department listed below:

You can also report a crime or send an anonymous text tip through our Bulldog Mobile (LiveSafe) app. (To register for Bulldog Mobile please visit the Yale LiveSafe page)

For addtional emergency information, visit the Yale Emergency Management website.

The conference is organized by Lorenzo Caliendo (Yale University), Samuel Kortum (Yale University) and Fernando Parro (University of Rochester). The selection committee includes Clare Balboni, Klaus Desmet, Elisa Giannone, Dan Lu, David Nagy, Natalia Ramondo, Ana Maria Santacreu and Xiaodong Zhu.

Papers selected for presentation will have a discussant and will be considered for inclusion in a special issue of the Journal of International Economics (JIE), with guest editors Lorenzo Caliendo (Yale University) and Fernando Parro (University of Rochester).

Manuscript Submission Information

Papers chosen for the conference will emphasize their empirical and quantitative findings, including reduced-form evidence as well as structural and general equilibrium analyses. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Empirical evidence on labor mobility across sectors and regions and dynamic adjustment following economic shocks.
  • The effects of trade and productivity shocks through the lens of models with forward-looking
    migration and other dynamic decisions.
  • The role of granular spatial heterogeneity in aggregate growth and distributional outcomes.
  • The dynamic effects of placed-based policies.
  • Intertemporal effects of trade and/or migration policies
  • The dynamic effects of adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
  • The adjustment of agricultural markets to local and foreign shocks.

Submissions from scholars early in their careers and/or from members of historically underrepresented groups in economics are especially welcome. To be considered for inclusion in the program, papers must be uploaded by midnight Eastern Time on September 21, 2025.

Authors selected to present their papers at the conference will be notified by October 18, 2025. Please do not submit papers that will be published or under submission to other journals by November 2025. Papers previously rejected by the Journal of International Economics will not be considered for the conference. The conference will cover the cost of attendance, including lodging and economy-class travel, for all presenters and discussants.

Special Issue Information

This Special Issue will feature only papers that were presented at the Conference on Spatial Dynamics. Submitting to the conference is not a formal submission to the JIE. Selected authors must submit their paper to the special issue after the conference, between November 17, 2025 and February 15, 2026, to the JIE through its regular submission channels for peer review.

When submitting your paper to the Special Issue, please use this link and select the Article Type "VSI: Spatial Dynamics" from the dropdown menu.

Check out the FAQs on special issues.

Learn more about the benefits of publishing in a special issue.

Interested in becoming a guest editor? Discover the benefits of guest editing a special issue and the valuable contribution that you can make to your field.

Sponsored by the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics