We are seeking papers for our 15th annual Municipal Finance Conference, to be held in person Tuesday, July 21 and Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at Brookings in Washington, DC.

The Municipal Finance Conference brings together academics, practitioners, and state and local government officials to discuss recent research on municipal bond markets and fiscal and economic issues affecting state and local governments.

The conference is sponsored by the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution, the Rosenberg Institute of Global Finance at Brandeis School of Business and Economics, the Mitch Daniels School of Business at Purdue University, the Harris School of Public Policy at University of Chicago, and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas at Austin. Materials from previous years’ conferences (including papers, videos, and more) are posted here.

  • We are seeking proposals on a broad variety of topics in state and local fiscal policy and in muni capital markets, including but not limited to: the impact of technological change on muni bond trading, how changing federal tax and spending policy is affecting state and local fiscal conditions, what AI is doing to and for state and local governments and markets, the latest developments in financing public infrastructure, and climate change.
  • We are particularly interested in connecting scholars with interests in muni capital markets with market participants (including those from the conference advisory committee) who can provide perspectives on institutional details and history and advice on data before papers are final. If you are an academic interested in connecting with market participants on a particular topic, please email—soon—a short preliminary proposal to Haowen Chen (hnchen@brookings.edu) and we will look for a good match.
  • The conference will be primarily in person—there will be a livestream option for remote viewers, but all presenters will be required to attend in person in Washington, DC. Travel support will be available for one author per paper.
  • Papers do not have to be original to this conference. We welcome papers that have been presented elsewhere or have recently been accepted for publication.
  • Deadline for proposals is February 27, 2026. We plan to make selection decisions by April 15. Drafts of selected papers will be due by May 31. Final papers for conference presentation will be due by July 14.

*Click "Next" button below to submit a proposal. Reach out to Haowen Chen (hnchen@brookings.edu) if you have any questions about the submission form or the selection process in general.

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