The economic effects of issues including drug abuse and industrial relations will be high on the agenda, along with subjects ranging from the impact of drop-out rates in further and higher education, to high levels of wage overpayment in UK financial services .

The conference, to be held at Dudhope Castle on 11 and 12 April 2002, is a key event in the Scottish academic calendar, and brings together experts and opinions from around the world.

This is the first time that the event has been held at Abertay University, and the event is expected to be the biggest so far. Over 50 delegates will be in attendance, from countries including France, Germany and Austria.

Conference organiser Gianluigi Giorgioni is a lecturer and economist at the University of Abertay Dundee. Gianluigi said: "We are expecting this to be a very lively event, helped along the way by some highly topical, and even controversial, discussion. Economics have a bearing on every aspect of everyday life - from your employment prospects, to the price you pay for goods and services. Events like these help us to examine financial trends, and highlight issues and potential problems in all aspects of economics."

Other issues to be brought under the spotlight include the telecoms markets, tax evasion, internet shopping, the new economy, and conditions of South African workers.

Professor Gavin Reid, President of the Scottish Economic Society, said: "We are lucky to have so many distinguished economists together in one location. The attendance is very international, and this will be the largest meeting the Society has ever held. We have delegates from many countries coming here, as well as throughout the UK. We are a Scottish learned society, but have an outward-looking, internationalist perspective. Though many of the fifty papers are very technical, they almost all focus on important issues of current economic policy".

Among the keynote speakers at the event are Professor Roy Thurik of Erasmus University, who will discuss UK entrepreneurship, and Professor Donald MacRae, of Lloyds TSB and Dundee Business School, who will talk about the future of financial services.

In addition to the presentation of papers, a policy session will debate prospects for the Scottish Economy, with speakers including David Martin MSP, Lex Gold of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, Matthew Farrow of CBI Scotland, John Downie of the Federation of Small Business, Professor David Bell of the Scotecon policy network, Mary Scanlon MSP a former lecturer in economics at Abertay, Iain Duff of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, and Paul Vaughan of Scottish Enterprise.