Where is the IABE-2027 Costa Rica Summer Conference being held?

The conference will take place in San Jose, CRI.

What is the primary focus of the IABE-2027 conference?

The conference serves as an international forum for academics and professionals to exchange research findings and ideas in business and economics, held in San Jose, CRI.

IABE-2027 Costa Rica - Summer Conference

Name: IABE-2027 Costa Rica - Summer Conference
Start: 2027-06-04T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-06-06T00:00:00Z
Location: San Jose

Jun 4–6, 2027San Jose, Costa RicaIn-person

Registration open

The IABE-2027 Costa Rica Summer Conference, hosted in San Jose, CRI, serves as a significant international forum for academics and professionals in business and economics. This event is designed to foster the exchange of research findings, innovative ideas, and practical applications across a broad spectrum of related disciplines. Participants will engage with contemporary challenges and opportunities shaping global economic landscapes. The conference aims to facilitate dialogue among diverse stakeholders, promoting a deeper understanding of economic trends and their implications. It provides a platform for presenting scholarly work and networking with peers, ultimately contributing to the advancement of knowledge and collaborative efforts in the fields of business and economics.

Committees & topics

Topics
Business Administration in a Post-Pandemic Global Economy · Economics: Inflation, Inequality, and the New Industrial Policy · International Business and the Fragmentation of Global Trade · E-Business and the Governance of the Digital Economy · Public Administration in an Age of State Capacity Challenges · Healthcare Systems After COVID-19: Equity, Financing, and Pandemic Preparedness

Why it matters

This conference is particularly relevant given the increasing interconnectedness of global economies and the rapid pace of technological change. Discussions at the IABE-2027 will likely touch upon critical issues such as sustainable development, digital transformation, and the evolving nature of international trade, all of which have profound impacts on national and global policy-making. The insights shared here can inform strategies for economic resilience and growth in various contexts.

For policymakers and business leaders, the research presented offers data-driven perspectives on market dynamics, consumer behavior, and organizational management. Understanding these elements is crucial for effective decision-making and for navigating complex economic environments. The conference's focus on practical applications means that theoretical advancements are often linked to tangible solutions for real-world problems.

Furthermore, the event's location in San Jose, CRI, provides a unique regional perspective on economic development in Central America. This context can enrich discussions by highlighting specific challenges and successes pertinent to emerging economies, offering valuable comparative insights for attendees from more established markets. The cross-cultural exchange of ideas is a cornerstone of such international gatherings.

How to prepare

To maximize the benefit from the IABE-2027 Costa Rica Summer Conference, attendees should prepare by thoroughly reviewing the call for papers and identifying sessions that align with their research interests or professional objectives. Engaging with the presented material will be more fruitful with a foundational understanding of the current discourse in relevant business and economic fields. Consider how your own work or organizational goals intersect with the conference themes.

Participants planning to present should ensure their submissions adhere to the guidelines and are prepared to articulate their research clearly and concisely. For those attending to network, developing a clear understanding of who you wish to connect with and why can significantly enhance the experience. Utilizing lessons such as "What Is Stakeholder Mapping?" can be beneficial for identifying key individuals and organizations to engage with.

Consider the broader implications of the topics discussed. For instance, how do the economic theories or business strategies presented apply to different national contexts? Reflecting on the "Hidden Stakeholders" involved in various economic processes can provide a richer understanding of the complexities discussed. Preparing to engage with a variety of viewpoints will enrich the overall conference experience.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Costa Rica

Host nation for an international business and economics conference.

Role in topic

As the host country, CRI provides the geographical and cultural context for the conference, potentially influencing discussions with its unique economic development model, focus on sustainability, and position within the Central American trade landscape. Its role as a bridge between North and South American markets could be a point of interest.

United States

Significant participant in global business and economic research.

Role in topic

The USA, as a major global economic power, will likely have a strong presence among attendees and presenters, contributing research on international trade, financial markets, technological innovation, and economic policy that influences global trends. Its economic policies and business practices often serve as case studies or benchmarks.

China

Key player in global economic shifts and trade dynamics.

Role in topic

CHN's economic growth and its role in global supply chains and trade agreements will undoubtedly be a significant topic of discussion. Research from CHN participants could offer insights into emerging market dynamics, industrial policy, and the impact of its economic strategies on the world stage.

Germany

Leading European economy with strong export orientation.

Role in topic

DEU's perspective will be valuable for discussions on European economic integration, advanced manufacturing, and export-driven growth models. Its research contributions might focus on innovation, sustainable industrial practices, and the challenges facing mature economies.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Business Administration in a Post-Pandemic Global Economy

Business administration as a discipline emerged from early 20th-century scientific management theories pioneered by figures like Frederick Taylor and later expanded through Peter Drucker's work on modern management. Over the past century, the field evolved from focusing on industrial efficiency to encompassing strategy, organizational behavior, finance, marketing, and operations across sectors. The rise of multinational corporations after World War II and the globalization wave of the 1990s transformed business administration into an inherently cross-border discipline. The COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain shocks, and the acceleration of artificial intelligence have triggered a fundamental rethink of managerial practice. Hybrid work, ESG (environmental, social, governance) reporting requirements, and stakeholder capitalism debates have reshaped how firms are governed. Regulators in the EU, US, and major Asian economies are now actively shaping management practice through climate disclosure rules, AI governance frameworks, and antitrust enforcement. Today the central debates concern how firms balance shareholder returns with broader societal obligations, how AI-driven automation reshapes labor and decision-making, and how management education must adapt. Emerging economies, particularly in Latin America and Africa, are also pressing for management frameworks better suited to informal-sector-heavy economies rather than imported Anglo-American templates.

Key players

Economics: Inflation, Inequality, and the New Industrial Policy

The global economy entered the 2020s carrying the legacies of the 2008 financial crisis and a decade of ultra-loose monetary policy. The COVID-19 shock prompted unprecedented fiscal expansion, followed by the sharpest inflation surge in forty years after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine disrupted energy and food markets. Central banks led by the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank responded with aggressive rate hikes, straining emerging-market borrowers and reviving debates over sovereign debt sustainability that ECOSOC and the G20 Common Framework have struggled to resolve. Simultaneously, the long post-Cold War consensus around free trade has frayed. The US Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act, the EU's Green Deal Industrial Plan, and China's Made in China 2025 strategy reflect a broad return to industrial policy. Trade fragmentation, export controls on semiconductors, and 'friend-shoring' of supply chains have raised IMF warnings about a 25-trillion-dollar cost to global GDP if decoupling deepens. Key contemporary disputes involve the appropriate inflation target, taxation of multinationals under the OECD's Pillar Two 15% minimum corporate tax, climate-related fiscal transfers from rich to poor economies, and whether labor-share declines and AI-driven productivity gains will widen or narrow inequality.

Key players

International Business and the Fragmentation of Global Trade

International business expanded dramatically after the 1995 founding of the World Trade Organization and China's 2001 WTO accession, which together ushered in a quarter-century of hyperglobalization. Global value chains, foreign direct investment, and cross-border services trade grew faster than world GDP, and multinational enterprises became the dominant organizational form in the global economy. Bilateral and regional agreements such as NAFTA/USMCA, the EU single market, RCEP, and CPTPP layered onto the multilateral system. Since roughly 2018, however, the model has been under sustained pressure. The US-China tariff war, COVID-era supply chain collapses, Russia's war in Ukraine, sanctions regimes, and the WTO Appellate Body's paralysis have eroded the rules-based order. Firms now pursue 'China + 1' sourcing, nearshoring to Mexico and Central America, and reshoring of strategic sectors like semiconductors, batteries, and pharmaceuticals. Foreign investment screening has tightened across most OECD economies. Current disputes concern carbon border adjustments (notably the EU CBAM), digital trade rules, treatment of state-owned enterprises, critical mineral supply, and how developing economies can capture more value as supply chains reconfigure. Costa Rica's emergence as a semiconductor assembly hub under the US CHIPS Act exemplifies the new geography of international business.

Key players

E-Business and the Governance of the Digital Economy

E-business emerged in the mid-1990s with the commercialization of the internet, accelerated by the dot-com boom and the rise of platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, and eBay. The 2007 launch of the iPhone and subsequent mobile revolution turned e-commerce into a daily mass-market activity, while cloud computing lowered the barrier for digital-native firms worldwide. By the early 2020s, e-commerce accounted for roughly one-fifth of global retail, and platform business models had spread into transport, finance, media, and labor markets. The COVID-19 pandemic compressed years of digital adoption into months, but also exposed concentration risks. The EU's Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act (2022), China's platform crackdown beginning in 2020, and renewed antitrust action in the US against major platforms reflect a global regulatory turn. Cross-border data flows, taxation of digital services under OECD Pillar One, cybersecurity, and AI-driven personalization are all contested terrain. Key current issues include digital sales taxation, platform worker classification, consumer protection in cross-border transactions, cybersecurity standards, and the inclusion of small and medium enterprises and developing-country firms in the digital economy. The UN's 2024 Global Digital Compact provides one emerging framework for cooperative governance.

Key players

Public Administration in an Age of State Capacity Challenges

Modern public administration traces its intellectual roots to Max Weber's theory of bureaucracy and the early 20th-century progressive reforms in the United States and Europe. The post-war welfare state expanded the scope of public administration dramatically, while the 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of New Public Management, which sought to import market-style efficiency into government through privatization, contracting, and performance measurement. Critics argued that these reforms hollowed out state capacity in ways exposed by later crises. The 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters, and the war in Ukraine have all stress-tested public administration systems. Governments faced demands to execute mass vaccination campaigns, deliver emergency fiscal transfers, modernize digital service delivery, and manage complex industrial policy programs simultaneously. Failures of coordination, procurement scandals, and the politicization of civil services have eroded public trust in many democracies, while authoritarian states have promoted alternative governance models. Current debates center on rebuilding state capacity for green and digital transitions, reforming civil service recruitment to attract technical talent, ensuring transparency and anti-corruption in public procurement, deploying AI responsibly in government, and adapting administrative structures to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, are often cited for innovations in open government and citizen participation.

Key players

Healthcare Systems After COVID-19: Equity, Financing, and Pandemic Preparedness

Modern healthcare systems were largely shaped after World War II, with the UK's National Health Service (1948), the expansion of social health insurance across continental Europe, and the establishment of the WHO in 1948. The 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration set primary health care as a global aspiration, and the 2000s saw a major scale-up of global health financing through institutions like the Global Fund and Gavi. Universal Health Coverage became a Sustainable Development Goal target in 2015. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep weaknesses: fragile supply chains for medical goods, stark inequities in vaccine access between high- and low-income countries, overstretched health workforces, and gaps in surveillance and data sharing. WHO member states are negotiating a Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations to address these failures, though disputes over pathogen sample sharing, technology transfer, and financing remain unresolved. Contemporary issues include the financing crunch facing health systems as donor budgets tighten and debt service consumes fiscal space in low-income countries; the rise of non-communicable diseases and aging populations; antimicrobial resistance; mental health gaps revealed by the pandemic; and the integration of digital health and AI diagnostics. Costa Rica's Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social is frequently cited as a strong middle-income UHC model.

Key players