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Call
for papers
IZA/World
Bank Conference on Employment and Development
Organized by Institute for the
Study of Labor (IZA) and the World
Bank
Berlin, May 25, 2006 - May 27, 2006
Presentation
Recent economic and social transformations have put developing
countries on higher and more sustainable growth paths. In
too many cases, however, poor labor market conditions still
lead to high unemployment, poor working conditions, low wages
and increased inequality and exclusion. Labor is often the
only asset of the poor and a growth process that is not associated
with job creation may therefore fail to reduce poverty. A
well functioning labor market can be the key to an environment
where new firms are created and private agents find the proper
incentives to invest and innovate. Sound labor policies that
promote the creation of more and better jobs are needed to
guarantee the success of structural reforms, to maintain the
social support for those reforms, and to ensure that the benefits
are widely distributed. Achieving these targets is crucial
to an effective implementation of poverty-reduction strategies
and, hence, progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
Against this background, the World Bank has developed a proposal
for operationally-oriented research program on "Labor
Market, Job Creation and Growth". The proposal has been
advanced in discussions with the research community, other
international organizations (such as ILO) and bi-laterals
aid organizations in Europe, America and Asia. To move the
proposed research agenda, the Institute for the Study of Labor
(IZA) and the World Bank have launched a new IZA research
area on Employment and Development. This new program aims
at assisting the international research community to address
research priorities related to employment and development,
including those identified by the World Bank.
To present this project and initiate research and fund raising,
IZA and the World Bank organize a conference in Berlin, May
25-27, 2006. On the 25th and 26th, four panels will discuss
a sub-set of the strategic research topics, gathering prominent
policy makers and academics, including:
- Samir Radwan (Economic Research Forum)
- Ann Harrison (Berkeley)
- Ragui Assaad (Population Council’s regional director
for West Asia and North Africa)
- Robert Holzmann (Director of the Social Protection Department,
HDN, World Bank and IZA)
- Klaus F. Zimmermann (Director of IZA and President of DIW
Berlin)
- Jan Svejnar (University of Michigan and IZA)
- Ira Gang (Rutgers University and IZA)
- Gary Fields (Cornell University)
- Barry R. Chiswick (University of Illinois, Chicago and IZA)
Organizers
Olivier
Bargain (IZA), Klaus
F. Zimmermann (IZA and University of Bonn), Stefano
Scarpetta (World Bank and IZA), Robert
Holzmann (World Bank and IZA)
Call for papers
On May 26 and 27, parallel sessions will be organized, and
we invite you to submit your contribution. We will consider
detailed abstracts, but will favor full papers – recent
or old – that focus on one of the 7 topics on labor
markets and labor market policies in the developing world,
as described on the Employment
and Development program area page. Papers dealing with
developed countries, including transitions economies, are
welcome if they prove to be relevant for the purpose of the
conference and our understanding of labor market mechanism
for the developing world.
Please submit your paper by using our online
application form before February 18, 2006. Decisions will
be made and communicated by late February. Selected participants
to parallel sessions must arrange and fund their trip but
are offered two nights accommodations in Berlin (25th and
26th) as well as meals during the conference, including the
participation to the conference dinner (exact date to be confirmed).
There are no conference fees.
For enquiries, please contact Olivier Bargain and Stefano
Scarpetta at development@iza.org
Conference's web site
Please check the Conference's
official web site for further details.
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