I think that the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly weakened our social networks and clearly brought about negative network effects in a society. When I was a Ph.D. student, I attended the IIOA conference held in 2000 in Macerata, Italy for the first time. At the conference, I met Sangwon Suh (UC Santa Barbara) who was a Ph.D. student at Leiden University. After the conference, we exchanged research ideas and published papers and a special issue in the ESR together.

The academic achievements clearly helped me get a faculty position as well as a professorship. Thus, its experience was not a trivial to my life. I also directly talked with Professor Karen Polenske (MIT professor) at the session room. This was an exciting experience. So I decided to become an IIOA member.

I am really wondering that a mere online conference can contribute to strengthening social networks among young researchers? In my case, if the Macerata conference was held just online, I would probably not be an IIOA member now.

I really appreciate the final decision by the IIOA Council to hold a 'physical‘ conference again in 2022. I believe that this precious opportunity can contribute to strengthening social networks among researchers and exchanging research ideas on how our society can achieve sustainable development goals and how IO-analysis can contribute to solving social problems.

I am now 49 years old, and I would be glad to see a future IIOA led by talented young researchers and Ph.D. students attending the conference this year!

I am looking forward to see you at the conference!

Sincerely yours

Shigemi KAGAWA, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
Faculty of Economics, Kyushu University