New success for the Vodoun School of Economics in Benin

For several years now, the doctoral school of economics and management at Benin's University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) and researchers from UNamur's Department of Economics and the Institute Development Finance & Public Policies (DeFIPP) develop research training activities.

Every 2 years, researchers from both institutions take part in a conference called the Vodoun School of Economics (VoSE), held in Ouidah, Benin. This doctoral school in economics is coordinated by Professor Romain Houssa. Doctoral students and academics from Benin and Namur presented their research in January 2025. The program included two inaugural lectures and 16 presentations. The special feature of this year's edition was the introduction of sessions on the replication and appropriation, by PhD students, of studies published in top economics journals.

The first inaugural lecture, given by Professor Jean-Marie Baland of the University of Namur, focused on research methodology in development economics. The second focused on modeling commodity prices in a general equilibrium model. It was presented by Romain Houssa of the University of Namur.

The 16 papers covered a variety of topics including:

• political determinants of government budget quality
• the labor market
• poverty and growth
• climate change
• natural resource management
• covid-19
• the role of raw materials in structural change
• investment financing by private networks
• the impact of innovations in the military on the economy's productivity

Each paper was discussed first by an academic before being subjected to a general discussion with participants.

After the conference, researchers from Benin will benefit from a research stay at UNamur to strengthen their research project. This activity is supported by the ARES Institutional Support (IA) program and the Erasmus+ program.

The AI-ARES-UAC project is the ARES institutional support (AI) program at the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) in Benin. Alongside VoSE, this multidisciplinary research and innovation support program aims to strengthen scientific collaborations between FWB researchers and Benin as well as other countries in this West African region, notably Togo, Niger or Burkina-Faso.

The aim is to improve the quality of multidisciplinary scientific research and innovation in a "One Health" approach, and to enhance the value of results in the fields of food, nutrition and the health of children and women of childbearing age, taking into account socio-economic factors, equity and inclusion.