ReCom konference: Vækst og beskæftigelse i u-lande

TIME: Monday, 8 October, 8.00 – 17.30

VENUE: The Black Diamond, Queen’s Hall, Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, Copenhagen K.

Does aid create jobs? When and how do these jobs work? Are they sustainable? Do they promote development?

Why can’t anyone tell me what works in aid?

TIME: Monday, 8 October, 8.00 – 17.30

VENUE: The Black Diamond, Queen’s Hall, Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, Copenhagen K.

Does aid create jobs? When and how do these jobs work? Are they sustainable? Do they promote development?

Why can’t anyone tell me what works in aid?

This plaintive question from a former Danish Development Minister trying to structure development policies based on evidence of success led the governments of Denmark and Sweden to commission UNU-WIDER to carry out ReCom – Research and Communication on Foreign aid – which aims to investigate what works in development. This programme that Danida Director, Ib Petersen, says should be a catalyst for more effective aid.

Now, a year and half or so down the line, it is time for the research results on Jobs and Development. This research is new and has potentially radical implications.

Jobs are critical everywhere but especially in developing countries. We are focused on practical results. News you can really use: if you are a policy maker in a donor country; if you are a practitioner in a recipient country; and very importantly if you are an aid recipient. But you don’t have to be in development to care about how your money is spent on development, or about how development policies are formulated.

There will be talking to some stars of the development world. Amongst them, Gary Fields, a world leader on employment and poverty reduction, whose latest book Working Hard, Working Poor has just come out. Also, the World Bank’s eagerly anticipated World Development Report 2013 – Jobs will be made public just days before we meet, and Martin Rama, the Director of the Report, will be joining us. According to Nobel Economics Laureate, George Akerlof: “labour economists should read the report, and think about how, in light of it, the subject should be substantially rewritten”. In other words, a game changer

Moderator Hilary Bowker, former CNN Senior European Anchor, will ensure a highly interactive discussion. Thanks to some of the most cutting edge conference communication technology in the world, you will be able to react almost immediately to what you are hearing from the panel and they will be able to react to you. We hope you can join us and help shape this exciting event. Register now and begin your contribution.

Programme:

08:00-09:00: Registration and coffee

09:00-09:30: Who are we? Why are we here? Introduce IML (electronic polling). Meet the Panelists. What is ReCom?; An interview with Mr Ib Petersen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and Professor Finn Tarp, UNU-WIDER.

09:30-11:00: Research Results and the ‘big picture’; Professor Gary Fields, Cornell University – Aid, Growth and Jobs. Dr Martin Rama, World Development Report 2013, World Bank – The World Bank’s World Development Report 2013 – Jobs. Dr Abebe Shimeles, African Development Bank – The Employment Effects of AfDB Projects. Dr John Page, Brookings / UNU-WIDER – Aid, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Africa. Group Discussion, IML Polling, audience feedback.

11:00-11:30: Coffee

11:30-13:00: How does it work on the ground? A reality check, by two former ambassadors – What do donor policy makers need? How can we use these fndings? What happens on the ground? Group Discussion, IML Polling, audience feedback.

13:00-14:00: Lunch

14:00-15:30: Drilling down: thematic and country results. Professor Måns Söderbom, Gothenburg University and Dr John Page, Brookings / UNU-WIDER – Aid, Employment and Firm Dynamics in Africa. Professor Keijiro Otsuka, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and Professor Tetsushi Sonobe, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies – Enabling Entrepreneurs. Assistant Professor Sam Jones, University of Copenhagen and Professor Finn Tarp, UNU-WIDER – Delivering good jobs in Mozambique: progress, problems, and possibilities. Martin Rama – How does Vietnam differ? Group Discussion, IML Polling, audience feedback.

15:30-16:00: Coffee

16:00-17:30: Conclusions; Round table wrap up: conclusions, takeaways; next steps, including audience feedback and IML Polling.

Register at www.wider.unu.edu/recomjobs