|
|---|
Events
How SCID contributes to economic policy reform
Policy research leading to dissemination through conferences is one of SCID’s major activities. Senior policy makers meet with scholars and key business leaders to exchange information, and researchers present their findings. Conferences are designed to foster understanding of the economic development policies needed to promote faster growth.
After each conference, a conference volume is published and distributed widely; individual papers are posted on SCID’s website for use by policymakers and scholars.
Scheduled SCID conferences
Conferences are generally convened annually for each major area of research. As SCID initiates specific research projects (either country/area- or issue-based), additional conferences are scheduled.
AREA CONFERENCES
India | Latin America | China
India: Our India program includes two conference series, one held at Stanford University and the second in India (Mirror Conference), and a program of research on policy relevant issues for the Indian economy.
The Ninth Annual Conference on Indian Economic Reforms will be held this year June 5-6. Entitled Investment, Management, and Employment Policies for the Indian
Economy, papers will cover topics such as Fiscal Policies and Growth, Active Labor Market Policies in Europe and Latin America: Lessons for India, Business Practices,
Finance and Growth, Inclusive Growth: Creating Economic Opportunity for Disadvantaged Minorities, Political Framework for Inclusive Growth, Inclusive Growth and
Schooling, and Affirmative Action Policies for the Indian Economy. A panel moderated by Professor Roger Noll will address Business and Investment Climate in India.
Last year's annual conference was held on June 7-8, 2007 at Stanford. As always, we had high level participation from India and the U.S. The program for this conference
marked a departure from those of previous years. Rather than invite papers on the Indian economy, we invited leading experts in their fields to comment on was learned
through research on how best to reform important sectors, and to describe the policies most likely to be effective. Each paper was followed by comments from
researchers and policy makers who are intimately familiar with the Indian economy, to draw out from the papers the lessons for India.
The topics covered in last year's conference were: Globalization and labor markets (paper by Professor Robert Flanagan, Stanford); Globalization and inequality
(Professor Penny Goldberg, Yale); Energy policies (Professor Frank Wolak, Stanford); Welfare Policies (Professor. Thomas MaCurdy, Stanford); and the
Trade Sector (Professor Anne Krueger, Johns Hopkins).
Continuing our highly successful series of annual conferences, the Sixth Annual
Conference on Indian Economic Policy Reform was held June 3 and 4, 2005. Papers were presented and discussed on such topics as reforms in the financial
sector, agriculture, and transportation; health policy and policy consequences of local governance institutions. A panel consisting of Indian leaders well known in their
field gave an assessment of progress on economic performance and reform, and a panel on the future of higher education in India was also presented by highly
regarded scholars and community leaders. Participants
Mirror Conference, 2006-07:
SCID recently concluded Mirror Conferences in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and in Patna, Bihar. The Mirror Conference Program serves to disseminate the research undertaken by SCID scholars to a broad group of politicians, bureaucrats, and members of the business and social communities in India’s states. It also serves as a forum to disseminate knowledge of our programs and activities, and to further our mission of active involvement with researchers and policy makers in India, so as to heighten debate on effective policies for economic growth and development. SCID partners with a local institution to host these conferences, so as to ensure wide participation. Financial support for the conference series is provided by the co-hosting institution.
The SCID team for this year’s Mirror conferences comprised SCID Deputy Director, Dr. Nick Hope (discussing the sources of Chinese economic growth), Senior Fellow Prof. T.N. Srinivasan (overall economic reforms, centre-state relations and employment trends), and Senior Research Scholars Dr. Anjini Kochar (primary schooling), and Dr. Ward Hanson (IT sector and growth). In Kerala, the SCID team was joined by long-time SCID affiliate Dr. Naushad Forbes, while in Bihar Mr. N.K. Singh and Prof. Jessica Wallack (Stanford Ph. D. graduate and currently a faculty member at UCSD).
This conference was our second in Kerala. As with the first, this year’s conference was co-sponsored by the Asian School of Business (ASB), Kerala Global Support Network (KGSN) and TiE Kerala. A highlight of this year’s conference was the active involvement of Dr. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister of Kerala. Dr. Isaac presented a paper on Kerala’s economy, and actively participated in several other sessions of the conference. His participation generated a lively debate from the audience on the future of the economy and the steps required to ensure sustained growth. In addition to the papers presented by the SCID team, the conference also featured presentations by Prof. Sunil Mani, of the Centre for Development Studies, as well as a concluding session that described the experiences of several of Kerala’s economic success stories.
The conference in Bihar was sponsored by the Government of Bihar, and actively supported by the Chief Minister, Shri Nitish Kumar, who presented a keynote address and also participated in several of the sessions. In addition to the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Modi, Chief Secretary Shri A. K. Choudhary, HRD Minister Shri Bishen Patel, and RCD Minister, Shri Nand Kishore Yadav also attended the conference and chaired the sessions in their areas of expertise. This high level participation drew a large crowd of over 100 participants to the conference on both days, including students, researchers, bureaucrats and members of the government and the business community.
Achievements of the Mirror Conference Series
This latest round of conferences illustrates well the successes of the Mirror Conference Series. Kerala, a state where political support for market based policies of economic growth has typically lagged behind that in other states, has recently been experiencing above-average growth rates and a change in the economic climate. In this environment, discussions on the impediments to economic growth are particularly fruitful. This conference was characterized by a significantly higher level of participation than our last conference in Kerala, and by lively debate on key policies.
In this conference, as in others we participate in, one of our major goals is to illustrate the value of research for the formulation of economic policy. The benefits are multi-fold. Careful documentation of data can provide support for existing policies or can reveal weaknesses that must be addressed. Research can also help establish the determinants of economic growth, and their relative importance.
Prof. T.N. Srinivasan’s careful analysis of the employment data for Kerala from 1978-2005 provides an excellent example of the value of good research. He showed that, contrary to popular beliefs, employment rates in Kerala have generally been above the all-India average, and have even tended to trend upwards during this period. He also brought to the attention of the conference the considerable drop-off in enrollment rates in the Kerala economy at the higher secondary and graduate levels, a fact that has not so far received the attention that it deserves. The data he presented on education generated calls for further research on higher education in Kerala, and the suggestion that, following our conference, a special conference should tackle the issues for higher education in the state.
Cross-country research can be a particularly influential method of spurring change in an economy. Dr. Nick Hope’s research on China, for example, surprised many in the audience by its documentation of the huge difference in the magnitude of investment in infrastructure in China and in India. The data he showed clearly revealed how far India’s states have to go in this regard. His talk emphasized the importance of effective communication and transport for market integration. His analysis of the Chinese economy was also able to provide useful lessons to India on some of the pitfalls of excessive decentralization: it may generate excess capacity and the inability to exploit scale economies.
Dr. Ward Hanson’s research suggested a new way of thinking about investments in IT. He discussed the merits of a services-led IT strategy, stressing that such a strategy could be as important for the poor as for the non-poor engaged in business activities. He argued that, provided general access were provided, the poor may use IT services far more than other segments of the society, with far-reaching effects in many different areas. His research underscored the importance of providing generalized access to IT services in rural India. To date, many of these initiatives have been narrow, focusing in particular on providing access to school children. Dr. Hanson’s research provided an argument for far greater access than currently exists.
The Bihar conference generated similar results. Bihar, one of India’s poorest economies, relies heavily on transfer income from the Central Government. As the Chief Minister pointed out, the magnitude of such transfers depends on estimates of the extent of poverty in the state, and hence on the accuracy of poverty estimates. As a consequence of our interaction with the state government, SCID team member Prof. T.N. Srinivasan has been invited to participate in a Government-sponsored effort to discuss methodologies for estimating poverty.
Dr. Anjini Kochar’s paper on the factors explaining the poor quality of schools in Bihar and the persistent caste-based gaps in schooling was particularly timely, given the current Government’s emphasis on schooling and the announcement of major policy initiatives in this regard. She showed that the large number of schools of uneconomically small size made improvements in school quality difficult and costly. Small schools are primarily located in habitations populated by the poor, and her research documented that their poor quality was one contributing factor to schooling inequalities in the state. Her research questioned the Government’s recently announced policies of upgrading infrastructure in all schools, regardless of school size – such a policy would be very costly, given that many schools have a total enrollment of less than 100 students. Instead, it reinforced the calls for a “common school” system whereby all habitations in a village would attend the same school.
Following the presentation and debate in this session, SCID has been invited to submit research proposals on education and poverty policies to the state government. This research would be undertaken in collaboration with research institutions in Bihar, and could provide the basis for on-going discussions and debate with the Bihar Government.
Our presence in India is also intended to initiate mutually beneficial collaborations with local institutions. The conference series has been highly successful in this regard. As a consequence of the Kerala conference, Dr. Naushad Forbes (SCID) and Prof. Sunil Mani (CDS, Kerala) will be collaborating on a paper on higher schooling. In Bihar, Prof. Jessica Wallack was able to forge an alliance with the Asian Development Research Institute (Patna) for research on micro-finance in the state. These collaborations may well form the most far-reaching benefits of the conference series; they provide for an on-going interaction between SCID scholars and researchers based in India that benefits both groups.
Annual conference, June 2007
Last year's annual conference was held on June 7-8, 2007 at Stanford. As always, we had high level participation from India and the U.S.
The program for this conference marked a departure from those of previous years. Rather than invite papers on the Indian economy,
we invited leading experts in their fields to comment on was learned through research on how best to reform important sectors, and to
describe the policies most likely to be effective. Each paper was followed by comments from researchers and policy makers who are
intimately familiar with the Indian economy, to draw out from the papers the lessons for India.
The topics covered in last year's conference were: Globalization and labor markets (paper by Professor Robert Flanagan, Stanford);
Globalization and inequality (Professor Penny Goldberg, Yale); Energy policies (Professor Frank Wolak, Stanford); Welfare Policies
(Professor. Thomas MaCurdy, Stanford); and the Trade Sector (Professor Anne Krueger, Johns Hopkins).
Related Information:
See Business Line interview with T.N. Srinivasan,
“Create a Framework that Helps Entrepreneurs”, April 23, 2007
In 2007,
T.N. Srinivasan received the Padma Bhushan decoration from the
President of India. The Padma Bhushan stands third in the hierarchy of
civilian awards and is awarded to recognize distinguished service of a
high order to the nation, in any field. Professor Srinivasan received
the award for his contributions in the areas of Literature and
Education
Research Activities: Several SCID researchers are engaged in research on various aspects of the Indian economy. In addition to on-going research by Dr. Kochar on rural education, Prof. Noll on the telecom sector, and Prof. Srinivasan on India 's economic reforms in comparative perspective, SCID associates, Prof. Mahajan and Prof. Klenow , both members of the Stanford Economics Department, have also initiated research on the health sector and on firm level productivity respectively. Abstracts In addition, Prof. Frank Wolak continues his research on the Indian power sector, and Prof. David McKenzie studies Indian water policy. Both have papers on these areas on the SCID web site. SCID is also involved in several collaborative research programs with institutes in India. With Dr. Verghese Jacob and Dr. Suresh Reddy of the Byrraju Foundation, Dr. Kochar is involved in an evaluation study of computer education in village schools of Andhra Pradesh. She is also collaborating with researchers at the Center for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) on a study on the effectiveness of fiscal decentralization in the state of Punjab. The Center’s Latin America Program hosted an inaugural conference on macro-economic policy reform in November 2000, a second policy conference on labor market reform in November 2001, a third policy conference in November 2002 on Financial Market Development, and a fourth annual Latin America conference on Infrastructure and Resources on November 13-15, 2003. . Staff and faculty associated with the China Program focus their efforts on a research agenda of policy relevant issues for the Chinese economy. In addition, two annual policy conferences, one held at Stanford University and the second in China comprise an important part of the program. SCID disseminates its significant research findings through working papers and publications. The academic community, along with the business community, lends their expertise and knowledge to the program. The academic community works on the research end of the China program, while the business community helps make their resources available to SCID scholars who will ultimately influence policymakers. The fourth annual conference jointly organized by SCID and Tsinghua’s NCER in Beijing on September 17-18, 2007 took up the theme: Sustaining China’s Growth. In a half-day session on the afternoon of September 17, macro-economic concerns were emphasized with presentations by Dr. Louis Kuijs (World Bank Office, Beijing), on how China might better balance expenditure, in particular by reducing investment and raising consumption, and Dr. Fred Hu, on measures to contain China’s balance-of-payments surplus. The session concluded with a panel discussion: Policy Priorities for Sustaining China’s Growth moderated by Dr. Nicholas Hope, SCID Director, with panelists comprising Professor Ronald McKinnon (Stanford), Professor Yingyi Qian (UC Berkeley and Tsinghua), Dr Andrew Sheng (Chief Advisor, CBRC, and Adjunct Professor, Tsinghua), Paul Volcker (former Chairman, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, who also gave the keynote address at the formal conference dinner), Dr. Xiaoling Wu (Deputy Governor, People’s Bank of China) and Dr. Lin Xu (Director General, NDRC). The panel identified multiple priorities for Chinese reform, with considerable emphasis on the use of fiscal policy to achieve better expenditure balance and contribute simultaneously to a reduction in inequality by directing resources to public services consumed by the poor. A common theme also of panel members was the urgency with which China needed to tackle severe environmental policies.
The environment was one of the principal topics in the papers presented on the second day,
together with the need for China to use resources more effectively. Stanford’s Professor Lawrence Goulder led off with a presentation on the sustainability of Chinese growth when appropriate allowance is made for investments in human, physical and environmental capital both to support growth directly and to offset the depletion of natural resources. Professor David Victor, Director of Stanford’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, contributed a paper on the issues involved in appropriate fuel choice in China. Other papers considered how to measure productivity in highly polluting industries; how to use Chinese water resources more efficiently; and what are the overall priorities for China in the remediation of environmental damage. The organizers of the conference (program attached) wish to express their appreciation for the financial support provided by the Koret Foundation and Goldman Sachs (China).
SCID's fourth annual conference on 'China's Policy Reforms: Progress and Challenges' was held at Stanford University on
September 29 - October 1, 2005. Discussion topics included current health issues in China, rural reform and income
disparities, the Chinese banking system and changes and challenges related to education and mobility throughout China. Participants
The third annual conference on Chinese Economic Policy Reform was held at Stanford University, October 14-16, 2004. The main theme of the conference was on regulation and reform of the financial system and capital inflow to China.
Participants Papers and their authors include: The Center held a second policy reform conference in September 2003. The theme of the conference was "How Well Do China's Markets Work?" Participants. The first conference on policy reform in China was held in November 1999. In addition to research, dissemination and conferences, SCID faculty have hosted a study program for senior officials from China. Currently, SCID is working with visiting scholars involving senior officials from the ministry of finance. SCID is working with the Office of Development at Stanford University to establish a memorial lecture series as well as an endowed exchange program for Taiwanese academics. ISSUE-ORIENTED CONFERENCES STUDY TOUR
See The Indian Express article by N.K. Singh,
“Centre, States Must Strike New Friendship”, April 15, 2007
Latin America: SCID's fifth annual Latin America conference on economic reform policies was held on November 11-13, 2004. The theme this year was Latin American Financial Systems and the Challenge of Economic Growth. Speakers include: Federico Sturzenegger (Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Argentina) and Anne Krueger (First Deputy Managing Director, IMF). Participants
China: The China Program is one of three regional programs at the Stanford Center for International Development (SCID).
The first conference on Education Policy was held in August 2000. The second on Financing Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Mexico was held in October 2001. A conference on Fiscal Federalism in a Global Environment in June 2002 examined in a series of case studies (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico; India, Nigeria, Australia and Canada) the implications for center/state relations in an increasingly integrated global economy. The Center is investigating options for a second enterprise financing conference focusing on additional Latin American economies; as well as a comparative study of regulatory reform in developing economies, focusing on the telecommunications and power sectors.
In April of 2006, SCID co-sponsored a conference entitled, "Trade Liberalization and Its Consequences" with Stanford University Libraries and the Division of International, Comparative and Area Studies. The conference brought together a number of academics who discussed Trade Liberalization in such areas as Factor Reallocation, Plant Operation and Wage Inequality.
A highly successful program that the Center organized for a study group from China’s Ministry of Finance was held in the last two weeks in June 2002. A delegation of 32, under the leadership of Assistant Minister Feng Shuping, participated in the program, which took place at SCID, in Sacramento and in Washington. The emphasis was on topical policy issues in the United States that could have implications for Chinese public finance, and our Chinese guests asked for particular attention to be paid, at Stanford, to the problems of the social security system, the Orange County bankruptcy, the California energy crisis, and the Enron fiasco. In Sacramento, the delegation was introduced on the floor of the State House, and was briefed on how California finances its budget and determines its expenditure priorities. In Washington, topics became more international, with briefings from the State Department and the White House, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Institute for International Economics that covered Sino-US relations, including money laundering and financial links, as well as the implications of the new round of multilateral trade negotiations within the WTO; new mechanisms for sovereign debt restructuring; the impact of globalization on world poverty; the role of finance in promoting growth; the implications of the knowledge economy; and the outlook for the dollar, as well as growth prospects for rich and poor countries in the near term. 