On November 2-3, 2016, the World Bank Jobs Group and the Network for Jobs and Development hosted the first edition of the Jobs and Development Conference, bringing together experts and academics from around the world to share the latest policy-relevant research on jobs topics.

The two-day event, held in Washington, D.C., was attended by over 200 participants and showcased 80 speakers presenting on a wide-range of issues, including job creation in conflict-affected or fragile states, gender and skills, structural change, and labor regulation. The conference accepted 32 high-quality papers, sourced from a call-for papers, which drew more than 150 submissions.

The conference also featured a keynote address on “Urbanization and Poverty Reduction in India” by Martin Ravallion (Georgetown University); a plenary session on “Locations, Jobs and Growth in South Asia” by Martin Rama (World Bank); and a panel discussion on “The Challenges to Job Creation in Developing Countries” featuring David Robalino (World Bank), Felipe Larrain Bascuñán, the former Finance Minister of Chile, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the former Deputy Chairman of India’s Planning Commission, and Njuguna Ndung’u, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.

In his keynote talk, Ravallion discussed how India’s urban sector – which had no impact on poverty reduction pre-1991 – had the largest effect on bringing people out of poverty, both in urban and rural areas, after the introduction of economic reforms in 1991. During the panel discussion, Bascuñán, Ahluwalia, and Ndung’u highlighted the policy challenges developing countries and regions face – including job creation, poverty reduction, and skill development – and shared the lessons learned from the experiences of policymakers in tackling these issues. In all, the conference held 4 special sessions.

See also: Blog: Government and jobs: a new consensus

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

NOVEMBER 2, 2016: 9 AM (UTC -4)

Martin Ravallion (Georgetown University)
“Urbanization and Poverty Reduction in India”

POLICY PANEL

NOVEMBER 3, 2016: 9 AM (UTC -4)

The Challenges to Job Creation in Developing Countries

Chair: David Robalino (World Bank)

Panelists:

Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Government of India)

Felipe Larraín Bascuñán (Former Minister of Finance, Government of Chile)

Njuguna Ndung’u (Former Governor of the Central Bank, Government of Kenya)