Conference | June 22, 2009

Employment Guarantee Policies: Responding to the Current Economic Crisis and Contributing to Long-Term Development

This event has ended.

When

June 22, 2009 - 12:00am
to
June 23, 2009 - 12:00am

Where

Levy Economic Institute of Bard College

A Collaborative Project of the United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC), and the Bureau for Development Policy (BDP), in Partnership with Levy Economics Institute

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

June 22–23, 2009

With poverty, inequality, and unemployment trending upward worldwide, job creation, especially for marginalized populations, is urgently needed. By mobilizing unused domestic labor resources, direct job creation can become an engine of pro-poor growth while also promoting gender equality and meeting social inclusion targets—key international development goals. Public works projects, employment guarantees, and employment of last resort strategies can play a crucial role in reducing unemployment and poverty, ameliorating distress migration and delivering physical infrastructure and social services in ways that particularly benefit underserved communities.

On June 22 and 23, Levy Economics Institute, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, convened an international conference to present the merits and challenges of public job creation programs as a constitutive component of an economic recovery strategy. Titled “Employment Guarantee Policies: Responding to the Current Economic Crisis and Contributing to Long-Term Development,” the conference was held at Blithewood, the Institute’s main research and conference facility, on the campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. More than 30 top policy advisers, members of government organizations, academics, and international development specialists met to analyze and exchange views on various public employment initiatives, drawing on existing research and the outcomes of country-level programs in South Africa, Argentina, India, Iran, and Chile. Among the speakers were Selim Jahan of the United Nations Development Programme; Marc Van Imschoot, International Labour Organization; and José Carlos de Assis, National Development Bank of Brazil.

Conference Proceedings

Programme

PROGRAM
Sunday, June 21
7:00 p.m.	INAUGURAL DINNER AND REGISTRATION
Monday, June 22
8:00 a.m.	REGISTRATION
8:15–9:00 a.m.	WELCOME
	Dimitri B. Papadimitriou, The Levy Economics Institute Rebeca Grynspan, United Nations Development Programme Selim Jahan, United Nations Development Programme
	INTRODUCTION TO THE THEMES OF THE CONFERENCE
	Rania Antonopoulos, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint
9:00–10:30 a.m.	SPEAKERS
9:00–10:30 a.m.	“Global Crisis and the Imperative for Job Creation: A Development Perspective” Jan Kregel, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint“During and After the Crisis: Why Is an Employer of Last Resort Policy Needed?” Dimitri B. Papadimitriou, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint
10:30–10:45 a.m.	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.	SESSION 1—COUNTRY EXPERIENCES: INDIA, SOUTH AFRICA, AND ARGENTINA
10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.	Moderator: Luis Felipe López-Calva, United Nations Development Programme “India: National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” Santosh Mehrotra, Rural Development, Planning Commission, Government of India PowerPoint “South Africa: Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)” Maikel Lieuw-Kie-Song, EPWP, Department of Public Works (former director) PowerPoint “Argentina: Jefes y Jefas de Hogar” Daniel Kostzer, United Nations Development Programme PowerPoint
12:45–2:00 p.m.	LUNCH
2:00–4:00 p.m.	SESSION 2—FUNDING EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE PROGRAMS
2:00–4:00 p.m.	Moderator: Steven Miller, Founding member, Economists for Full Employment “Policy Space, Fiscal Space, and Financing for NREGA” Pinaki Chakraborty, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, India PowerPoint “Currency Regimes, Inflationary Pressures, and Fiscal Space Constraints” Jan Kregel, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint
4:00–5:15 p.m.	SESSION 3—SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION OUTCOMES
4:00–5:15 p.m.	Moderator: Ajit Zacharias, The Levy Economics Institute “Urban Renewal and Youth Unemployment” Steven Miller, Founding member, Economists for Full Employment PowerPoint “Promoting Gender Equality: Home-based Care and Early Childhood Development; Scaling Up Social Sector Job Creation for the Case of South Africa” Rania Antonopoulos, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint “Community Development and ELR: A Gender Perspective on Jefes y Jefas” Martha Tepepa, Centro de Estudios Urbanos y Ambientales, El Colegio de Mexico PowerPoint
5:15–5:30 p.m.	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
5:30–7:30 p.m.	SESSION 4—RESPONDING TO JOBLESSNESS: POLICY CONTEXTS AND THE ROLE OF THE UNDP AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS
5:30–7:30 p.m.	Moderator: Jan Kregel, The Levy Economics Institute “Colombia’s Displaced Population” Cecilia López, Senator, Congress of Colombia PowerPoint “ELR: The Case of Pakistan” William Mitchell, Center for Full Employment and Equity, Australia “Addressing Joblessness in Brazil” José Carlos de Assis, National Development Bank of Brazil PowerPoint
7:30 p.m.	DINNER
	SPEAKER
	“Making Infrastructure Generate Employment for the MDGs” Selim Jahan, United Nations Development Programme

Tuesday, June 23
	The dialogue sessions are intended to promote the exchange of views among all participants. During these sessions panelists are allocated 10 minutes each, followed by audience comments, questions, and general discussion.
8:45–10:00 a.m.	DIALOGUE (1)—POLICY CHOICES AND CHALLENGES IN INTRODUCING EGP, ELR
8:45–10:00 a.m.	*Scope and Scale:* “Universal” (demand-driven) or “targeted” *Institutional Arrangements:* Level of centralization, getting “incentives” right, wage setting *Identifying and Managing Job Creation’s Indirect Policy Objectives:* Community development, social inclusion, skill creation, poverty reduction, MDGs Radhika Lal, Rania Antonopoulos, Santosh Mehrotra
10:00–10:15 a.m.	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.	DIALOGUE (2)—POLICY OPTIONS AND CHALLENGES IN INTRODUCING EGP, ELR
10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.	*Funding:* Costing and sources of financing, impact on internal/external balances *Inflation:* Acceptable range and micro-macroeconomic impacts Jan Kregel, Daniel Kostzer, Pinaki Chakraborty, William Mitchell
12:15–1:30 p.m.	LUNCH
1:30–3:30 p.m.	SESSION 5—SCALING UP WHAT HAS WORKED, EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW IDEAS
1:30–3:30 p.m.	Moderator: Dimitri Papadimitriou, The Levy Economics Institute “ILO’s Employment-intensive Infrastructure Programs” Marc Van Imschoot, International Labour Organization PowerPoint “The Family-weekend Program” Kate Philip, Office of the Presidency, South Africa PowerPoint
2:30–3:30 p.m.	SPEAKER
2:30–3:30 p.m.	“The Global Jobs Pact: A Brief Report” Stephen Pursey, International Labour Organization PowerPoint
3:30–3:45 p.m.	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
3:45–5:45 p.m.	SESSION 6—QUANTITATIVE–QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
3:45–5:45 p.m.	Moderator: Rania Antonopoulos, The Levy Economics Institute “Distributional Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” Ajit Zacharias, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint “Mexico’s Programa de Empleo Temporal: Evaluation and Agenda for Reform” John Scott, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico PowerPoint “Micro-macro Simulation Analysis for the Case of South Africa” Kijong Kim, The Levy Economics Institute PowerPoint
5:45–6:45 p.m.	ROUNDTABLE ON NEXT STEPS
5:45–6:45 p.m.	The role of the United Nations Development Programme, International Labour Organization, and other U.N. System partners; strengthening capacities, engaging in policy research, and consolidating the Economists for Full Employment global network Stephen Pursey, Steven Miller, Luis Felipe López-Calva, Rania Antonopoulos
6:45 p.m.	DINNER

Employment Guarantee Policies: Responding to the Current Economic Crisis and Contributing to Long-Term Development

When

Where

Conference Proceedings

Programme

Sunday, June 21

Monday, June 22

Tuesday, June 23

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