Professor Muhammad Yunus has long envisioned a world free from poverty. He has worked to deliver opportunities for entrepreneurship to all, beginning with small loans for the very poor through the founding of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize with Grameen Bank in 2006, Professor Yunus has focused on spreading and implementing social business, in which companies are created for social good rather than private profit. During this event, Professor Yunus will discuss the power of social business and microfinance in the effort to end poverty.

The Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC) launched its lecture series in April 2005 to bring distinguished academics to the Bank to present and discuss new knowledge on development. The purpose of the Lecture Series is to introduce ideas on cutting edge research, challenge and contribute to the Bank's intellectual climate, and reexamine current development theories and practices. The Lectures revisit issues of long-standing concern and explore emerging issues that promise to be central to future development discourse. The Lecture Series reflects DEC's commitment to intellectual leadership and openness in embracing future challenges to reduce poverty.

The DEC Lecture Series is chaired by Kaushik Basu, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, and includes a presentation and floor discussion.