The WCO and the World Bank will host a Research Conference in Brussels on the theme of informality related to international trade and border administration. The Research Conference will largely consist of the presentation of papers selected from those submitted in response to this Call for Papers. Paper proposals may address four major topics, although this list is not exhaustive: (i) local importers of developing and emerging countries, their individual trajectories, practices and their relationships with the administrations controlling the borders, their organisation as transnational commodities value chains and the relationships between these chains; (ii) economic, political, and social effects of the international movements of goods subject to informal practices; (iii) the representations, official and unofficial practices of the border administrations in relation to what/who they name "informal"; (iv) the role of administrations and international/transnational organisations producing norms to regulate international trade flows within an ideological framework influenced by corporations promoting self-government while the usual forms of national sovereignty remain in place. Paper proposals can be submitted in English or French. The deadline for submission is 30 January 2013. Authors of the proposals will be notified of the results before 15 February 2013. Full length papers should be received by the Selection Committee no later than 15 May 2013. The selected presenters will receive funding to cover their accommodation expenses; travel may also be covered depending on the availability of donor funding. The publication of a collective book is envisaged.