WASH Economics Conference 2026

17 – 18 April 2026 | CEPT University, Ahmedabad (India) | Online

 

The fourth edition of the WASH Economics Conference will be held on April 17-18, 2026 at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India

The WASH Economics Conference aims to bring together academics, practioners and sector partners doing research on the economics of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene/health services (WASH). The 2025 edition of the conference took place at Oberlin College, USA. The next edition of the conference will be organised on April 17-18, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India, by the Center for Water and Sanitation at CEPT University, in collaboration with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. It is co-funded by The Gates Foundation.

 

Participate and present your work

 

The topics for the abstracts will be accepted across any area of WASH economics, broadly defined as how actors (e.g. individuals, providers, governments) make decisions about the allocation and means of providing scarce resources in the delivery and use of WASH services. There will be a special session on WASH financing, so papers in this area are particularly welcome. Submissions related to any setting globally are welcome, as are submissions from researchers, practitioners and development sector partners working on economic issues within disciplines beyond economics (e.g. engineering, public health). Scholarships funded by CWAS are available to facilitate attendance by presenting authors who are early career researchers,* practitioners and development sector partners from low- and middle-income countries.**

Attendance is free and includes lunch and a conference dinner. Online participation will be via Zoom.

_{* “Early career researcher” is defined as being enrolled in a PhD or being employed and within 7 years of highest degree (e.g. Masters or PhD).}

_{** Low- and middle-income countries is defined according to the latest World Bank classification. Scholarships can support travel, accommodation, and visa costs.}

The sessions are planned in two categories:

1. Academic paper sessions (30-45 mins each). Authors will present their paper, followed by reflections from a pre-identified discussant and an open discussion.

2. Policy sessions (60 -75 mins). Three presenters will deliver a short talk each on a live policy or practice issue (10 mins each) followed by discussion.

The abstracts can be submitted in the form linked below. The abstract should be up to 400 words and may include one figure or table as required. For academic sessions, abstracts should be work-in progress rather than published journal articles, but working papers or pre-prints are encouraged. Submissions with pending results are acceptable if results are expected by February 2026. For policy sessions, abstracts should explain the key messages of the talk.

Know more about previous conferences

 

Organizers