Events

The 11th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Social Progress in South Asia

May 9-10, 2023

Dhaka, Bangladesh

SAEPN Conference Spring-2023 on Social Progress in South Asia

Join us for the 11^th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Social Progress in South Asia, hosted by the Office of the Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, Poverty and Equity Practice Group of the World Bank and BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD). This two-day hybrid event brings together distinguished experts and thought leaders who will delve into the crucial topic of Inequality of Opportunity and Intergenerational Mobility in South Asia.

This event features a keynote lecture by renowned economist Raj Chetty (Professor of Economics, Harvard University), paper presentations, expert panel discussion and a presentation on the main findings of the World Bank’s South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2023.

With very low social mobility and high inequality of opportunity in countries in South Asia, this conference aims to address the persistent disparities that pose a significant threat to the achievement of development goals and the eradication of poverty in the region.

REPLAYS
PROGRAM AGENDA + MATERIALS
SPEAKERS
Paper Committee

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DAY 1 | Tuesday, May 9, 2023
_{12:45 – 7:30 PM (BGD) | 2:45 – 9:30 AM (EDT)}

12:45 – 1:20	WELCOME REMARKS • Imran Matin Executive Director, Brac Institute of Governance and Development • Abdoulaye Seck, Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, World Bank OPENING REMARKS • Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Ph.D, MP, Hon’ble Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, Bangladesh
1:20 – 3:30	SESSION 1: MEASURING INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND INTERGENERATIONAL MOBILITY PART A. PAPER I: Human Opportunity Index and circumstances behind the inequality in maternal health care: Evidences from India Author: Arijita Dutta, Triparna Majumdar and Shashi Bhusan Mishra PAPER II: Caste-based and Racial Wealth Inequality in India and the United States Author: Ishan Anand PAPER III: Reproducing Inequalities: Impact of Social and Cultural Capital Author: Avinash Kumar Discussant: Nayantara Sarma, Economist, World Bank PART B. PAPER IV: Intergenerational Educational Mobility in India: Does Caste Matters? Author: Libitha C PAPER V: Intergenerational mobility in Nepal: Does land ownership really matter? Author: Ashesh Shrestha and Arpita Nepal PAPER VI: Impact of Parental Aspirations on Adolescent Education: A Qualitative Study Exploring Slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh Author: Taslima Aktar, Samira A. Rahaa, Saklain A. Mamunb, Silvia Guglielmic and Farhana Alam Discussant: Ayago Wambile, Senior Economist, World Bank
3:30 – 3:55	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
3:55 – 5:00	SESSION 2: GENDER INEQUALITY PAPER I: Religious Institutions and Gendered Time Use: Evidence from Ramadan Festivities in India Author: Ashokankur Datta and Aparajita Dasgupta PAPER II: Gender Unequal Unpaid Care Work in India: A Barrier to Social Progress Author: Pallavi Gupta and Falguni Pattanaik PAPER III: Why do inheritance reforms not increase women’s access and control over land? Evidence from Punjab (Pakistan) Author: Hana Zahir *Discussant:* Nele Charlotte A Warrinnier, Economist, World Bank
5:00 – 6:05	SESSION 3: INEQUALITY AND HUMAN CAPITAL PAPER I: Class in Caste: Inequalities in Human Capital Investments in Children in India Author: Prakash Kumar Shukla, Bheemeshwar Reddy A. and Dushyant Kumar PAPER II: Social Norms and Human Capital Investment: Examining the Educational Impacts of Dowry in Rural India Author: Natasha Jha PAPER III: Mind the Gap: Analysing Inequality in Access to Higher Education in India between the Poor and the Rich Author: Pradeep Kumar Choudhury and Jandhyala BG Tilak *Discussant:* Kazi Iqbal, Senior Research Fellow, BID
6:05 – 6:30	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
6:30 – 7:30	KEYNOTE LECTURE Creating Equality of Opportunity: New Insights from Big Data Speaker: Raj Chetty, Professor of Economics, Harvard University Open Discussion (Q&A with the audience)
7:30	CLOSING DAY 1

DAY 2 | Wednesday, May 10, 2023
_{9:55 AM – 3:00 PM (BGD) | 11:55 PM – 5:00 AM (EDT)}

9:55 – 10:15	OPENING REMARKS Day 1 Recap by Hans Timmer, Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank
10:15 – 11:05	SESSION 4: EDUCATION POLICIES PAPER I: High Hopes and Low Budget: An Empirical Investigation on the Impact of Differential School Investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Author: Emaan Siddique PAPER II: Delivering Remote Learning Using a Low-tech Solution: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Bangladesh Author: Hashibul Hassan, Liang Choon Wang, Michael Vlassopoulos and Asad Islam *Discussant:* Zoe Leiyu Xie, Senior Economist, World Bank
11:05 – 11:15	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
11:15 – 12:15	SESSION 5: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / GRADUATION POLICIES PAPER I: A push which is less big but just as good? Experimental evidence on the role of coaching within bundled ultra-poor graduation programmes Author: Maliha Noshin Khan, Rocco Zizzamia, Narayan Das, Stefan Dercon, Imran Matin, Ashley Pople, and Munshi Sulaiman PAPER II: Affirmative Action through Job Reservation: Does it Work? Author: Santanu Gupta and Apratim Guha PAPER III: The Impact of Entrepreneurship Training and Credit on Labour Market Outcomes of Disadvantaged Youth Author: Marzuk A N Hossain, Tahsina Naz Khan, Anindita Bhattacharjee, Narayan Das, Atiya Rahman and Asma Tabassum Discussant: Munshi Sulaiman, Research Director, BIGD
12:15 - 1:10	LUNCH
1:10 – 2:30	OVERVIEW AND PANEL DISCUSSION: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES - SOCIAL MOBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA Expanding Opportunities: Toward Inclusive Growth Presenter: Maurizio Bussolo, Lead Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Speakers: • Abdul Baki, Member (Secretary), Industry and Energy Division, Planning Commission, Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh • Haris Gazdar, Director and Senior Researcher at the Collective for Social Science Research, Pakistan • Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, Bangladesh • Imran Matin, Executive Director of BIGD, Bangladesh Chair: Hossain Zillur Rahman, BRAC Chairperson Open Discussion (Q&A)
2:30 – 3:00	CLOSING REMARKS • Nasima Begum, Member (Senior Secretary), Planning Commission, Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh • Hans Timmer, Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank Vote of thanks by Imran Matin, BRAC University
3:00 PM	CLOSING DAY 2