The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) will hold the fourth empirical issues in international trade and finance (EIITF) conference on December 18 and 19.

EIITF brings together academics, policy researchers, multilateral agencies, industry bodies and policy-making communities to expand the frontiers of academic research and the framing of better policies in international trade and finance.

EIITF 2014 will see renowned panelists like Dr Mia Mikic, chief, UNESCAP; Prof Graciela Chichilnisky, Columbia University; Shujiro Urata, Waseda University, Dr. Jayant Menon, lead economist at Asian Development Bank; Dr Mohammad A Razzaque, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, among other panelists.

It will have 80 research papers in 21 technical sessions covering contemporary areas of debate such as the proliferation of free trade agreements, production networks and the role of FDI and trade in economic development in east Asia, trade in services from an Indian perspective, the carbon market etc.

The first EIITF was held at IIFT Kolkata in 2008, the second took place at IIFT Delhi in 2010 and the third conference was held at IIFT Kolkata in 2013.