CDM2026: Conference on Digital Markets South Asian University New Delhi, India, October 29-30, 2026

Call for Papers

Conference on Digital Markets

Organized by the Faculty of Economics, South Asian University

Proposed Venue: South Asian University, New Delhi (Hybrid Mode)

Proposed Dates: 29-30 October 2026

Digital markets have become an integral part of the modern economy. There are many positives with digital markets that enhances efficiency of production, consumption, and distribution. Simultaneously, digital markets bring complex and emerging challenges in the marketplace with respect to employment of labour, technology and network effects, use of artificial intelligence, competition issues, access to platforms, among others, which can impact market participants adversely in multiple contexts. The conference is designed to uncover different facets of digital markets encompassing multi-disciplinary approach. Pertinent and current issues in digital markets will be discussed by experts from industry, policy practitioners, and academia using latest trends, methodologies and theories.

The conference has a two-tiered structure. One tier of the conference is dedicated to invited talks and panel discussions by researchers and experts, whose domain of expertise match the theme of a particular section. The second tier offers a platform for early-career researchers and faculty to present their academic work, with the provision of constructive feedback on their work. The combination of expert talks, panel discussions and paper presentations are expected to provide a fertile ground for furthering future academic work on the specific themes on the economics of markets. The involvement of industry professionals and policy practitioners in the panel discussions shall add real-life applications to the academic discussions in the different sessions.

The conference has adopted a multi-disciplinary approach to discuss various topical issues in digital markets, the conference should be of interest not only to the academia (economists, legal scholars, computer scientists, management scholars) but also for policymakers and industry professionals interested in digital markets.

Papers are invited for presentation in the conference under the following broad themes:

· Competition and anti-trust issues in digital markets

· Cybersecurity and digital markets

· Rational choice in digital markets

· Digital labour market

· Prediction markets

· AI and digital markets

· Firm behavior and strategy in digital markets

· Regulation of digital markets

· Market design and welfare outcomes of digital markets

· Sustainability issues in digital markets

· Technology and innovation in digital markets

· Societal and ethical issues with digitalization

Conference Format: HYBRID

The conference will include:

Technical sessions (oral) presenting selected research papers

Invited lectures by academic experts

Panel discussions involving representatives from the academia, industry, and policymaking

Submission guidelines: Extended abstracts (upto 2,000 words) and/or full papers (8,000-10,000 words) with theoretical, empirical, and/or policy focus are welcome. All submissions will undergo a review process by the conference committee. Based on the evaluation, selected authors will be invited to present their work at the conference.

The last date of submitting an extended abstract/ full paper is 15^th September 2026

Papers are to be submitted EXCLUSIVELY using the conference email id: cdm@sau.int

Decision about paper selection shall be communicated by the scientific committee of the conference

Publication opportunity with reputed journals:

· Original full-length papers submitted for presentation in the conference shall be peer- reviewed by the Scientific Committee (for quality and peer review)

· Presenters of accepted papers have to register with the conference (details at https: cdm2026.sau.int)

· If the authors give their consent, the Scientific Committee shall forward the papers to the following associated journals (based on scope and quality):

Associated Journals:

• Special Issue on Digital Labour Markets to be published by the Indian Journal of Labour Economics (Springer Nature); Scopus-Indexed Journal; ISSN: 0971-7927

-Papers submitted to this conference on this theme shall be considered to be a part of this Special Issue. Further details on paper formatting to follow. Please read the Notes below carefully.

Other Associated Journals

• Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (JTDE) (Telecommunications Association, Australia; Scopus-Indexed Q2 Journal; ISSN: 2203-1693 (Online))
• Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration (APJPA) (Taylor & Francis; Scopus-Indexed Q1 Journal; ISSN: 2327-6673)
• Studies in Microeconomics (MIC) (Sage; Scopus-Indexed Q2 Journal; Journal; ISSN: 2321-0222)
• Journal of Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Sciences (JLAIS) (Tohri Foundation, Sage Track; Scopus-Indexed Q2 Journal; ISSN: 21673756)

*Additional associated journals may be added periodically

Notes:

· Papers forwarded to relevant associated journals have to undergo the peer review process of the selected associated Scopus-indexed journal

· Only unpublished original papers shall be forwarded to the relevant associated journals

· Presentation and submission to the relevant associated journal does not guarantee publication

· Final publication decision rests with the individual journal editors

· After journal-level review, acceptance in the selected journal is subject to the APC charges (if applicable) and is not a part of the conference fees

· Participants are encouraged to independently check the Scopus-indexation status of the journal. Indexing status is determined solely by the respective journals and indexing bodies, and may change at any time

· This conference does not have a separate Conference Proceedings outlet for publication of presented papers

Registration deadline: 30^th September 2026

Registration fee: Please see the details given on the conference website (cdm2026.sau.ac.in)

Conference Organizing Committee:

Convener: Dr Debdatta Saha (Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, South Asian University)

Corporate Sponsor: Hughes Systique Private Limited, Gurugram, India

Scientific Committee:

Dr Kingshuk Sarkar (Professor, Goa Institute of Management)

Dr Dipankar Das (Assistant Professor, Goa Institute of Management)

Dr Khanindra Ch. Das (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management, South Asian University)

Dr Debdatta Saha (Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, South Asian University)