Past Event

Job Creation and Productivity Growth in Emerging Markets and Developing Countries

The Office of the Chief Economist for the South Asia Region of the World Bank, in collaboration with the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) are hosting the "Fifth SANEM-World Bank North America Discussion Forum 2024" which will explore how emerging markets and developing countries can create more productive jobs to drive economic development, equitable growth, and social stability. This forum aims to convene academics and development economics practitioners to present and discuss key questions relating to job creation and productivity growth in emerging markets and developing countries.

Join us for the Fifth SANEM-World Bank North America Discussion Forum hosted by the South Asia Chief Economist Office and the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). This in-person forum will explore how emerging markets and developing countries can create more, and more productive, jobs to drive economic development, equitable growth, and social stability.

Don’t miss this discussion on creating more of the right kind of jobs for faster development! 

Date: Friday, May 31, 2024

Time: 8:50 AM – 4:40 PM ET

VENUE: (MC 2-800) World Bank HQ Main Complex

CONTACT: Office of the Chief Economist in South Asia

sarchiefeconomistoffice@worldbank.org

Creating more, and more productive, jobs is essential for economic development, equitable growth, and social stability in emerging markets and developing countries. The shift out of agriculture into non-agricultural activities that is at the heart of long-term economic development can boost both employment and productivity. However, if the right circumstances are not in place, this shift is obstructed and cannot fulfill its role in lifting incomes for all. Policies that can accelerate both job creation and productivity growth include measures that encourage competition in global markets, and foster firm growth, innovation, skills development, and labor market flexibility. The impact of these policies may differ across groups of workers, particularly among women, youth, and the poor.

Friday, May 31, 2024
8:50 AM – 4:40 PM (ET) 

8:20-8:50 AM Registration & Breakfast

8:50-9:00 AM

Welcome Remarks

· Franziska Ohnsorge, Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, World Bank

9:00-10:00 AM

Panel Discussion | Job Creation in South Asia

· Richard Rogerson, Charles and Marie Robertson Professor of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

· Roberta Gatti, Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa Region, World Bank

· Selim Raihan, Professor, University of Dhaka and Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling

Moderator: Martin Raiser, Vice President for the South Asia Region, World Bank

10:00-10:15 AM

Coffee Break

10:15-11:45 AM

Paper Session 1 | Labor Productivity and Firms 

Paper I: Unbalanced Development

Franziska Ohnsorge; Richard Rogerson (Princeton University); Zoe Leiyu Xie

Paper II: Foreign Investment and Gender Equality in India: Competitive Pressures or Technology Transfer? 

Jennifer Poole; Shruti Sharma (City University of New York)

Paper III: Collusion Among Employers in India

Garima Sharma (Princeton University)

Paper IV: Does Trade with Multinationals Induce Greener Production? Evidence from the Bangladesh Fashion Industry

Kazi Iqbal; Moogdho Mahzab (Stanford University); Kazuki Motohashi; Haruka Takayama

11:45 AM-12:45 PM

Lunch
12:45-2:15 PM

Paper Session 2 | Labor Market Shocks and Interventions 

Paper I: Meritocracy across Countries

Oriana Bandiera (London School of Economics and Political Science); Ananya Kotia; Ilse Lindenlaub; Christian Moser; Andrea Prat

Paper II: COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impact on the Rural Non-Farm Employment in Bangladesh: Evidence from a Longitudinal Survey Data

Selim Raihan; Mahtab Uddin (University of Manchester); Abdul Jobbar Sakil

Paper III: Made in India: Industrial Policy in a Changing World

Deepak Nayyar; Gaurav Nayyar (World Bank)

Paper IV: Can Technology Enabled Supply Chain Interventions Reduce Market Imperfections? A Case of Mom and Pop Shops in Pakistan

Maham Ashfaq (American University)

2:15-2:30 PM

Coffee Break
2:30-3:00 PM

Fireside Chat | Better Jobs for South Asia

· Nicole Klingen, South Asia Regional Director for Human Development, World Bank 

· Federica Saliola, Manager of Jobs Group, World Bank

Introduction: Meriem Ait Ali Slimane, Senior Economist, Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, World Bank

3:00-4:30 PM

Paper Session 3 | Human Capital and Labor Supply

Paper I: The Gender Turnover Gap Across Countries

Kevin Donovan (Yale University); Todd Schoellman

Paper II: Mama, I’m Coming Home: Brain Gain through Brain Circulations

Krishna Sharma (Clemson University)

Paper III: The Lasting Effects of Early Childhood Interventions: The National Vaccination Commando Program in Burkina Faso

Richard Daramola; Md Shahadath Hossain (University of Houston); Harounan Kazianga; Karim Nchare

Paper IV: Do the Effects of Minimum Wage Policy on Labour Productivity Stem from Alterations in Labor Supply? A Case Study of the Sri Lankan Labour Market

Kanishka Werawella (University of Colombo); Nilupulee Rathnayake

4:30-4:40 PM

Closing Remarks

· Selim Raihan, Professor, University of Dhaka and Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling

Remarks

Female in formal attire

Franziska Ohnsorge

Chief Economist for the South Asia Region, World Bank

Male in formal attire

Selim Raihan

Professor, University of Dhaka and Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling

Panelists

Male in formal attire

Martin Raiser

Vice President for the South Asia Region, World Bank

Male smiling

Richard Rogerson

Charles and Marie Robertson Professor of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

Female in formal attire

Roberta Gatti

Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa Region, World Bank

Female smiling

Meriem Ait Ali Slimane

Senior Economist for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, World Bank

Female in formal attire

Nicole Klingen

South Asia Regional Director for Human Development, World Bank

Female smiling

Federica Saliola

Manager of Jobs Group, World Bank

Presenters

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Shruti Sharma

Associate Professor, City University of New York

Female smiling

Garima Sharma

Post-doctoral fellow, Princeton University

Male in formal attire

Moogdho Mahzab

Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

Female smiling

Oriana Bandiera

Sir Anthony Atkinson Professor of Economics, London School of Economics

Male in formal attire

Mahtab Uddin

PhD Candidate, University of Manchester

Male in traditional attire

Gaurav Nayyar

Lead Economist for the Office of the Chief Economist of Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions, World Bank

Female smiling

Maham Ashfaq

PhD Student, American University

Male in formal attire

Kevin Donovan

Assistant Professor of Economics, Yale University

Male smiling

Krishna Sharma

Phd Student, Clemson University

Male in formal attire

Md Shahadath Hossain

Assistant Professor, University of Houston

Male in formal attire

Kanishka Werawella

Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Colombo

Date: May 31, 2024

Time: 08:50 AM - 04:40 PM ET

Location: In-person, Washington, D.C.