The theme of IDEAs' Beijing Conference 2007 is particularly relevant as the recent decades have thrown up interesting dilemmas for the developing world in terms of experiencing economic growth coupled with increases in income inequality and inadequate reduction of poverty. The conference therefore focussed on the extent and nature of growth in developing economies, particularly in Asia. It explored the extent to which the growth process has been related to shifts in underlying economic structures with adverse impacts on poverty and inequality, or to policy paradigms, both domestic and external, which have created these contradictions within the growing developing world. The impact on livelihood and employment patterns, sectoral shifts in investment, production, and incomes, the impact on human development and gender are all sought to be studied in detail.

For a conference report, click on IDEAs Activities

The International Conference on
'Policy Perspectives on Growth, Economic Structures and Poverty Reduction',
7-9th June, 2007, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

The conference was organized with a view to promoting interaction between development theorists and practitioners across the world and to build and strengthen a network of committed individuals who are able to express unorthodox perspectives on economic development. Therefore one aim of the event was to present economic issues from a critical perspective at variance with mainstream ideas or results. It also aimed to encourage a clear set of policy guidelines for inclusive and equitable growth in developing economies. The set of policy guidelines also had to be such which civil society organizations working at the micro level could identify with and include in their articulation of grass root needs for development.

The conference included a total of about 80 participants of which about 41 were from outside China while participants, both young and senior, from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, Fujian, Henan and other parts of China made up the rest. The participants consisted of senior economists, policy makers, members of civil society organizations and other development activists.

The event highlighted latest research output on changes in inequality and poverty in different parts of the world, particularly in developing Asia. It also focused strongly on the relevant policy measures for effective poverty reduction. 18 papers focusing on a variety of issues ranging from the global economy to country experiences were presented by the participants. There were specific focuses on rural and urban poverty and the role of different strategies for their eradication. The role of social security or social assistance measures got special attention in this regard. The conference ended with a panel discussion on the policy lessons for developing economies as well as a review of the papers presented and issues brought forward by the conference.

Some of the main issues which emerged were the question of governance, of development planning and its financing, the role of economic structures and shifts thereof in affecting growth and human development, the interaction between agriculture and industry. The other set of crucial issues which were widely discussed were the role, measurement and nature of poverty and the impact of poverty eradication programmes and their interaction with the macroeconomic policy regimes in developing nations. Employment guarantee schemes as instruments of poverty reduction were also discussed. Finally the importance of promoting human development through health and education facilities for building future human capital came up again and again, and was looked at both as a right of the people as well as an investment for future growth. There was wide scale participation and sharing of experiences by senior researchers, policy makers and other development professionals, along with young scholars.

During the opening session on the 7th of June, a number of eminent academicians and civil society representatives delivered opening speeches while highlighting the importance and relevance of the issues under discussion. Prof C. P. Chandrasekhar, member, Executive committee of IDEAs, welcomed the participants on behalf of IDEAs and emphasized the crucial importance of mutual understanding and collaborations in order to build a world of justifiable development alternatives. The other speakers included Prof. Cheng Enfu, Director, Marxism Academy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China, the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Prof. Li Qiang, the Dean of the School of Economics, Prof. Yang Ruilong and the Director of Action Aid, China , Ms Zhang Lanying.

Below is a list of the speakers and paper titles arranged thematically which were presented during the conference.

June 7, 2007
Session I: Analytical Issues

Chair: C P Chandrasekhar

Papers:

Jan Kregel
Distinguished Research Professor, Centre for Full Employment & Price Stability, University of Missouri, Kansas City "Can identifying the causes of poverty give us insight into eliminating poverty?"

Saul Keifman
Professor, Department of Economics, University of Buenes Aires, Argentina
"The relationship between the exchange rate and employment: Revisiting the structuralist explanation" (Download the paper)

Francis Cripps
Alphametrics Ltd, Francis Cripps & Associates (IT) Co. Ltd, Bangkok, Thailand "Exchange rates and income distribution" (Download the paper)

Discussant: Abhijit Sen
Member, Planning Commission, India and Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Session II: Comparative Experiences 1

Chair: Jayati Ghosh
Executive Secretary, IDEAs and Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Papers:

Mehdi Shafaeddin
Retired, Department of Globalization and Development, UNCTAD, Geneva, Switzerland
"From export promotion to import substitution; comparative experience of China and Mexico in electronic industry" (Download the paper)

Julius Kiiza
Senior Researcher, Makarere University, Uganda ''The myth of donor-driven "structural" economic transformation: Understanding Taiwan's lessons for Uganda''

Du Yang
Professor, Chief of Division of Labor and Human Captial, Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China ''Urban poverty and social assistance programme in China'' (Download the paper)

Discussant: Dic Lo
Senior Lecturer in Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Director of the Centre of Research in Comparative Political Economy at the School of Economics, Renmin University of China

Session III: Comparative experiences 2

Chair: Xu Jiankang
Senior Researcher, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Papers:

Yukio Ikemoto
Professor of Economics, Tokyo University, Japan "Poverty alleviation policies and ethnic minority people in Vietnam: A capability approach" (Download the paper)

Upali Vidanapathirana
Lecturer, the Open University of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka ''Liberalization policies and economic divide in Sri Lanka: an appraisal of post reform experience''
(Download the paper)

Discussant: Parthapratim Pal
Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, India

June 8, 2007
Session I: Institutional change and income distribution in China

Chair: Jan Kregel

Papers:

Carl Riskin
Professor of Economics, Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University, USA "Explaining China's changing income distribution: market forces vs. social benefits".
(Download the paper)

Li Xiaobei
Assistant Vice President, Sichuan University, P. R. China ''An analysis of the development of Sino-Japanese economic relations''

Discussant: Andong Zhu
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Session II: Issues in rural poverty reduction in China

Chair: Long Denggao
Professor, Economics Institute, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Papers:

Thomas Chan
Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China ''A new turn in China's agricultural policy''

Yuk-shing Cheng
Department of Economics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China ''Building pro-rural economic institutions in China'' (Download the paper)

Discussant: Dic Lo

Session III: Poverty and income distribution in India

Chair: Lei Da
Professor, former vice dean, School of Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing

Papers:

Himanshu (with Abhijit Sen)
Fellow (Economics), The Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi, India ''Trends in poverty and income distribution in India: Evidence from the NSSO''

Amitabh Kundu
Dean, School of Social Sciences, and Professor, Centre for Studies in Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India "Migration and urbanisation in India in the context of the goal of poverty alleviation" (Download the paper)

Discussant: Ratan Khasnabis
Professor, Department of Economics, and Dean, School of Business and Management Studies, University of Kolkata, India

Session IV: Economic restructuring and income distribution in Latin America

Chair: Saul Keifman

Papers:

Roxana Maurizio
Researcher- Professor, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (UNGS), Buenos Aires, Argentina ''Macroeconomic regime, trade openness, unemployment and inequality: the Argentine Experience'' (Download the paper)

Elda Molina Diaz
Researcher, Centro de Investigaciones de Economía Internacional Universidad de La Habana, Havana, Cuba ''Cuba: Economic restructuring, recent trends and main challenges'' (Download the paper)

Discussant: Francis Cripps

June 9, 2007.
Session I: Poverty reduction policies

Chair: Mehdi Shafaeddin

Papers:

Dereje Alemayehu
East Africa Programme Manager, Christian Aid ''Taming the 'predatory' state – the major antipoverty project in Africa''

Smita Gupta
Fellow, Institute of Human Development. New Delhi, India ''Significance and limitations of India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in addressing rural poverty''
(Download the paper)

Discussant: Darshini Mahadevia
School of Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India

10.30 to 11 a.m. Coffee

11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Panel discussion: Policy implications

Chair and Speaker: Cui Zhiyuan
School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Abhijit Sen
Member, Planning Commission, India and Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Jan Kregel
Distinguished Research Professor, Centre for Full Employment & Price Stability, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Amitabh Kundu
Dean, School of Social Sciences, and Professor, Centre for Studies in Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Yuk Shing Cheng
Department of Economics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

Vote of thanks: Jayati Ghosh
Executive Secretary, IDEAs.

June 19, 2007.