Inaugural Conference on India’s Economy

Monday, April 13, 2015

8:15am to 5:00pm

Elliott School of International Affairs
Lindner Commons, 6th floor
1957 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20052

The Indian economy is showing signs of revival after several years of slowdown. A new growth oriented government has just presented a budget to boost recovery, inflation is on the decline and India looks poised for faster growth. Yet challenges remain as India must reduce poverty, create jobs for a young and rapidly urbanizing population while increasing its resilience to global headwinds as it continues to open up to the international economy. How can India revive growth with limited fiscal space? What reforms are needed in factor markets: land, labor and finance to ramp up private investment both domestic and foreign? What additional policies and programs are needed to address poverty? How can India become more competitive in global markets, and participate in global and regional trade partnerships? How can the promise of U.S.-India partnership be taken forward concretely? The Institute for International Economic Policy at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, invites you to a conversation with top academic researchers, officials from the IMF, World bank, OECD, and the UN, and current and former high level policy makers in the U.S. and Indian governments.

9:00-10:30 am – Session One: Economic Outlook and Macro Economic Policies

11:00 am-12:30 pm – Session Two: Finance, Urbanization, and Growth

12:30-2:00 pm – Lunch and Keynote Speaker

  • Arun Kumar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service “India-U.S. Economic Relations: Prospects and Promise”

2:00-3:30 pm – Session Three: Poverty Eradication and Participation

  • James Foster & Sabina Alkire (GWU, OPHI): Multi Dimensional Poverty Indicators for India
  • Vijayendra Rao (World Bank): The Anatomy of Failure: An Ethnography of A Randomized Trial to Deepen Democracy in Rural India
  • Chair: Stephen Smith (GWU)
  • Discussants: Thangavel Palanivel (UNDP) and Yue Li (World Bank)

3:45-5:00 pm – Closing Session

  • Piritta Sorsa (OECD): Stronger and Better Growth in India
  • Discussants: Swami Nathan Aiyar (Economic Times and Cato Institute), Rakesh Mohan (IMF, RBI), and Ajay Chhibber (IIEP, India) on challenges facing India today

For more information, please contact Kyle Renner at iiep@gwu.edu or 202-994-5320.

Cosponsored by:


View the videos from the sessions here

12:30-2:00 pm – Lunch and Keynote Speake

 

2:00-3:30 pm – Session Three: Poverty Eradication and Participation