Among the world’s developing regions, South Asia has the highest share of informal employment. More than 80 percent of workers in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are informal. These workers are excluded from labor laws and social protection schemes that apply to organized labor and the specific risks associated with COVID-19 exacerbate their situation. Informal workers are particularly vulnerable to shocks as they tend to have less cash on hand and more limited access to credit. They are also more likely to lose their jobs and face extreme poverty and food insecurity as the pandemic intensifies across the region. The 6th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Informality and COVID-19 in South Asia brings together academics, policy advisors, health policy experts, and civil society leaders to discuss the impacts of the pandemic on the region's most vulnerable people.
Informality and COVID-19 in South Asia
September 9-10, 2020
Virtual
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Wednesday, September 9, 2020
7:00-7:10 AM (EST) Opening Remarks
Speaker: Mari Pangestu, Managing Director – Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank
Session 1: Insights from Surveys
7:10-7:20 AM (EST) COVID-19 and the Future of Microfinance in Pakistan Presenter: Farah Said, Lahore School of Economics
7:20-7:30 AM (EST) Insights from Business Pulse Surveys in South Asia
Presenter: Arti Grover, World Bank
7:30-7:40 AM (EST) Small and Medium Firms during the COVID19 Pandemic: Evidence from Bangladesh Presenter: Atiya Rahman, BRAC Institute of Governance & Development
7:40-7:50 AM (EST) Implications of COVID-19 for Employment and Earnings in Bangladesh
Presenter: Maria Eugenia Genoni, World Bank
7:50-8:00 AM (EST) Summary and Discussion
Discussant: Shanta Devarajan, Georgetown University
8:00-8:10 AM (EST) General Discussion
8:10-8:15 AM (EST) Short Break
Session 2: Insights from India
8:15-8:40 AM (EST) Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Labour Supply, Wages and Gross Value Added in India
Speaker: Sargam Gupta, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research
Discussant: Nayantara Samra, World Bank
8:40-9:05 AM (EST) Lights Out? COVID-19 Containment Policies and Economic Output
Speaker: Tarun Jain, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Discussant: Pavel Chakraborty, Lancaster University
9:05- 9:30 AM (EST) How Productive is Public Investment? Evidence from Formal and Informal Production in India
Speaker: Abhinav Narayan, Reserve Bank of India
Discussant: Sabyasachi Kar, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
9:30-9:35 AM (EST) Short Break
9:35-9:45 AM (EST) Summary and Open Questions
Speaker: Hans Timmer, Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, World Bank
9:45-10:30 AM (EST) Keynote Lecture
Speaker: Christopher Woodruff, Professor, Oxford University
Connection for Day 1 of Conference: Click here
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Thursday, September 10, 2020
7:00-8:15 AM (EST) Preview of the South Asia Economic Focus
Speaker: Maurizio Bussolo, Lead Economist, World Bank
Discussant: Ravi Kanbur, Cornell University
8:15-8:30 AM (EST) Short Break – Transition to World Bank Live for Expert Panel
8:30-10:00 AM (EST) Expert Panel
Opening remarks: Illango Panchamuthu, Director, Strategy and Operations, South Asia Region, World Bank
Ishrat Husain, Advisor for Institutional Reforms and Austerity to the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Renana Jhabvala, National Coordinator of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of India, Chair of SEWA Bharat and co-founder and board chair of WIEGO
Ravi Kanbur, Professor of World Affairs, International Professor of Applied Economics, and Professor of Economics at Cornell University
Sabina Faiz Rashid, Dean, School of Public Health, BRAC University
Moderator: Hans Timmer, Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, World Bank
Connection for Day 2 (SAEF preview): Click here
Policy Panel livestream: Click here
Details
- Conference : September 9-10
- Contact Person: Rana AlGazzaz
- Email Address: ralgazzaz@worldbank.org