Date: April 29, 2009
Description: In the wake of the widening global economic crisis, most developing countries are facing a sharp deceleration in FDI and exports, and prospects of a severe slowdown in GDP growth. This slowdown will inevitably affect, albeit with a lag, employment and earnings. During this one-day workshop, subject-matter experts from the OECD, World Bank, IMF, and academia will focus on the employment impact of the current crisis on male and female workers and possible options to mitigate the impact. The morning program provides a general discussion of the impact of the financial crisis and the role of informality, while the afternoon program examines operational tools to assess and mitigate the impacts of crisis. In addition, the workshop will include in-depth analysis of the prospects for informal employment at times of crises and its implications for the structure of the labor market and the welfare of workers. The OECD will also present results from its recent report, “Is Informal Normal? Towards More and Better Jobs in Developing Countries.” Potential responses to the crisis will be examined, with lessons learned from previous experiences. Objectives: The workshop will provide context-specific and gender-sensitive guidance on the expected employment impact of the current financial crisis and the growth, employment and poverty impact of potential policy responses.
 B-SPAN Videos:
- Panel Discussion: Addressing the Employment Aftermath
- OECD Presentation: Is Informal Normal? Towards More and Better Jobs in Developing Countries
- Impact of the Crisis on Employment
- Responses to the Crisis
9:00 – 9:15 | Opening Remarks / Framing the sessionMayra Buvinic, Sector Director, Gender and Development Group, The World Bank | 9:15 – 11:15 | Panel Discussion: “Addressing the Employment Aftermath”Chair: Ana Revenga, Sector Director, Poverty Reduction Group, The World Bank Panel: Antonio Spilimbergo, Deputy Division Chief, Research Department, IMF Anthony Carnevale, Research Professor and Director, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Mauricio Cardenas, Director, Latin America Initiative; Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Foreign Policy Brookings Institute Shanta Devarajan, Chief Economist, Africa Region, The World Bank Stephen Pursey, Director, Policy Integration and Statistics Department, ILO | 11:30 – 1:00 | Book Launch: “Is Informal Normal? Towards More and Better Jobs in Developing Countries”Chair: Pierella Paci, Lead Economist, Poverty Reduction Group, The World Bank Presenter: Johannes Jutting, Head of Poverty Reduction and Social Development Unit, OECD Development Center Discussants: Marty Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy and Coordinator of WIEGO, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University William Maloney, Lead Economist, Latin America and Caribbean Region, The World Bank | 2:00 – 3:30 | Impact of the Crisis on EmploymentChair: Ahmad Ahsan, Lead Economist, East Asia and the Pacific Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector, The World Bank Marty Chen, Lecturer in Public Policy and Coordinator of WIEGO, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Omar Arias, Sector Leader, Latin America and Caribbean Human Development Sector Catalina Gutierrez, Economist, Poverty Reduction Group, The World Bank | 3:45 – 5:15 | Responses to the CrisisChair: Andrew Morrison, Lead Economist, Gender and Development Group, The World Bank Jay Rosengard, Lecturer in Public Policy and Director, Financial Sector Program, Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Judy Baker, Lead Economist, Finance, Economics, and Urban Department, The World Bank Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI |
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