Thrive scientific conference: Scaling early childhood development programmes and policies in low- and middle-income countries

Call for papers – now closed

Thrive, on behalf of Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), is hosting an international interdisciplinary conference on the topic of scaling early childhood development (ECD) programmes and policies in low-and middle -income (LMIC) countries.

Thrive is a multi-country research programme funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) that aims to support countries in turning what we know about positive ECD into practical, scalable programmes.

Plenary speakers

**Joseph Agbenyega**
Associate Professor in the Counselling, Special Education and Neuroscience Division at Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE)

**Amanda Devercelli**
Global Co-Lead for Early Childhood Development, Education, The World Bank

**Lia Fernald**
Professor of Community Health Sciences, Brian and Jennifer Maxwell Endowed Chair in Public Health, University of California, Berkeley

**John List**
Professor of Economics, University of Chicago

**Joan** **Lombardi**
Adjunct Professor and Senior Advisor, Stanford Center on Early Childhood

**Florencia** **Lopez**–**Boo**
Professor of Economics and Applied Psychology and Director of Global TIES, NYU

**Mushfiq Mobarak**
Professor of Economics, Yale University

**Mark Tomlinson**
Professor, Institute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University

Conference focus

This conference will focus on papers that inform implementation of ECD policies and programmes in LMIC. There are 4 main areas of focus; papers outside of these areas may also be considered as long as they are relevant to the overall focus on scaling ECD.

What works – Innovative ECD approaches with potential for scale

Papers on 1) developing and testing ECD innovations with potential for scale in LMIC settings, and 2) that increase understanding of the process of early childhood development in LMIC settings.

Implementation at scale – Transitioning to large-scale interventions

Papers that focus on implementation of ECD interventions at scale and provide evidence to inform a successful transition of ECD programmes to scale.

Equity and inclusion – how to make sure scaling is equitable and inclusive

Papers that contribute evidence on how to ensure gender equity, access for marginalised and disadvantaged groups, caregiver empowerment and father engagement in ECD at scale.

Measurement and assessment at scale

Finally, we welcome papers that inform ECD measurement and assessment at scale in LMIC settings. This includes for example innovation in measures of child development and/or validation of existing measures in new settings.

We invite submissions of high-quality academic research papers from the Thrive focus countries (Ghana, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone and Kiribati) and other LMIC settings.

Register your interest

If you would like to attend the conference in person, we invite you to pre-register here. Please note, pre-registering does not guarantee that you will be offered an in-person place, as there is limited space and we are aiming to bring together a range of international delegates. If we can offer you a place, you will receive an official invitation from thriveconference@opml.co.uk by 25 April 2025. If you would prefer to join the conference online, or if you are unable to secure an in-person place, there will be a virtual attendance option – more information will be shared shortly. There are no registration fees to attend the conference either in person or online.

Deadline

The call for papers closed on 16 February 2025.

Notifications of acceptances

Notifications of acceptance will be circulated by 28 March 2025. The conference will use a variety of presentation modalities (presentations varying in length, poster presentations, etc.). Successful applicants will be notified about the type of presentation their paper is selected for.

Organising Committee

Conference Chair

Sonya Krutikova (University of Manchester and Institute for Fiscal Studies, UK)

Committee members

Ingvild Almas (IIES/Stockholm University, Sweden and FAIR/Norwegian School of Economics, Norway)

Jophus Anamuah-Mensah (University of Education, Winneba, Ghana)

Bet Caeyers (Chr. Michelsen Institute and FAIR/Norwegian School of Economics, Norway)

Imran Rasul (University College London and Institute for Fiscal Studies, UK)

Susan Walker (The University of West Indies, Jamaica)