Conference Announcement

The World Bank, in collaboration with DfID, Finland, Norway and Sida is organizing a conference on ‘New Frontiers of Social Policy: Development in a Globalizing World’ in Arusha, Tanzania on December 12-15, 2005. The international conference will bring together world class academics, policy analysts, practitioners and the community of experts from developing countries to discuss cutting edge research issues and social policy praxis. The conference aims at generating dialogue across institutions and engendering fresh thinking on social policy in developing and transitioning countries ten years after the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) to address gaps in development policy and programs.

The WSSD galvanized the attention of the world and helped achieve consensus on a set of global commitments on social development. While progress is notable on some of the WSSD commitments others have lagged behind. The UN Secretary General’s report on the Social Summit (February 2005) acknowledges significant gaps in the commitments on employment; social integration; and the institutional environment — economic, legal, and political environment—for social development.

The Conference on "New Frontiers of Social Policy" is designed to address these gaps in WSSD achievement through Keynote Speeches, three high-level panel discussions and a series of research papers on three themes:

Inequality, Livelihoods and Inclusion

Institutions, Voice and Accountability

Culture, Identity and Social Integration

The three Panel Discussions will be on:

(1) Legal Empowerment of the Poor

(2) Implementing the WDR06 on "Equity and Development"

(3) The Role of International Organizations on Global Social Policy.

The Keynote Speakers will include:

      Ravi Kanbur, Cornell University

      Mahmood Mamdani, Columbia University

      Ian Gough, University of Bath

      Margaret Levi, University of Washington

      Elliott Sclar, Columbia University

      Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Harvard University

      Sam Wangwe, Tanzania

 

The thematic sessions under the three themes will include a wide range of relevant research papers:

• Theme One: Inequality, Livelihoods and Inclusion The papers will focus on the underlying causes and trends in inequality that affect peoples’ livelihoods; sustainability of livelihoods; and policies that create opportunities for social mobility. Thematic sessions will be on: (1) Mobile Populations and Social Policy; (2) Human Settlements and Social Policy; (3) Assets and Livelihoods in Fragile States; (4) The role of State and Non-state Actors in Sustaining Livelihoods.

• Theme Two: Institutions, Voice and Accountability The papers will focus on legitimacy and trust in public institutions and ways of increasing access to services and accountability of public institutions. Thematic sessions will be on: (1) Access to Justice; (2) Legitimacy of Public Institutions; (3) Trust and Institutional Accountability; (4) Social Policy Dimensions of Utility Governance; (5) Accountability Mechanisms and Delivery of Public Services; (6) Institutions for Inclusive Social Policy.

• Theme Three: Culture, Identity and Social Integration The papers will include comparative experience with managing diversity in multi-cultural environments; the challenges of identity, citizenship and social cohesion in the context of diversity, development and globalization. Thematic sessions will be on: (1) Social integration; (2) Social inclusion and social capital; (3) Cultural diversity; (4) Human security and social policy.

 

For more information, please write to  socialpolicy@worldbank.org or contact the Social Policy Advisor, Dr. Anis Dani:  adani@worldbank.org

Co-sponsored by: