Compact Seminars on Development

Latest Event:

Compact Seminar at Pantheon Sorbonne University Paris-1
Paris, France
2-3 May, 2006
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About the Compact Seminars©

As part of the World Bank's program to increase outreach to universities and research institutions, a series of Compact Seminars on International Development has been developed to foster cooperation and knowledge sharing between the World Bank and the academic community on key development issues.

Are you affiliated to a university? Does your institute work on development? Or are you professionally engaged on specific issues such as the development impact of trade or participatory policy approaches? No matter if your constituency is on campus or on the operational side, what counts is your interest in development issues.

BRING A COMPACT SEMINAR TO YOUR SITE

The Compact Seminars on International Development represent a unique opportunity to learn about the complexities of development issues, to have a enriching exchange of knowledge and experiences among academics, practitioners and World Bank staff.

The seminars are prepared and carried out by the World Bank in partnership with the host institution and local World Bank offices.

The seminars are compact, lasting 1-3 days. Each seminar is made up of three pillars: fixed core modules, case studies and flexible roundtables.

i) Core modules

The core modules make up the backbone of the seminars. These modules have been developed by externally hired academics in coordination with the World Bank. Each core module can be replicated in any seminar.

The core modules focus on specific themes such as:

• Sustainable Development
• Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)
• International Financial Institutions
• Millennium Development Goals
• Political Economy of International Development
• Aid Effectiveness

ii)  Roundtables (panel debates)

Each university hosting a seminar may chose the themes for the roundtables. The seminars usually include 2-3 roundtables. Specialists from academia, government, business, civil society and the World Bank are asked to serve as panelists in these roundtables. Examples include:

• "Monterrey, Johannesburg and Doha: 3 International Gatherings Shaping the International Development Agenda"
• "Europe and International Development: Which Route for the European Union?"
• "Natural Resources and Conflicts"
• "International Migration and Europe"
• "The New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD): Which Way Forward?"

iii) Case Studies

Each seminar includes 1-2 case studies. The audience is divided into smaller groups to discuss and then to present their findings.  Examples of case studies include:

• "Writing a Country Assistance Strategy"
• "The Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative: The Case of Ghana"
• "A National Consultation on the Uganda Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper"
• "The Mining Industry: A Case Study of the Kaolin Amazonia"

Interested?

Please contact us for further information.