The Yale Development Dialogues

On October 30th, 2020, the Economic Growth Center and South Asian Studies Council at Yale launched their new series: The South Asia Development Dialogues: Economic Policy Lessons from History. This first installment took a look at the history of official development assistance to South Asian countries over the last century shows that aid often had as much to do with the political aims of the donor countries as the development goals of the recipients. In a conversation moderated by Catherine Cheney '10, Professor Rohini Pande, Professor David Engerman, and Senior Fellow Rory Stewart engaged in a thoughtful discussion on the subject.

Across South Asia, migrant workers have been among those most affected by the pandemic. In India the initial lockdown was imposed with only hours’ notice, leading to a mass exodus of migrant workers from major cities – an exodus that in turn proved to be a major conduit of infection. At the same time, South Asian migrant workers abroad found themselves subject to deportation, or else stranded and unable to return home. This has happened before. During the plague epidemic of the 1890s – far more lethal than Covid-19 – and again during the “Asian influenza” of 1957-58, migrant workers were the subject of intensive scrutiny, and their movements posed challenges to health policy. This virtual panel discussion will bridge insights from research into past pandemics in South Asia, and current research on the impact of Covid-19 on migrant workers. How can the interests of migrant workers be better protected? In times of crisis, what sorts of interventions have been most, and least, effective i

The pace of development for Covid-19 vaccines was nothing short of remarkable. But, as is often said, vaccines don’t save lives, vaccinations do. And a number of challenges stand in the way of equitable vaccine distribution. What are the most promising strategies to support the roll out of vaccines, in order to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, and allow society to resume many of the educational, social, and economic activities that have been disrupted over the past year? What policies and partnerships can ensure that vaccines reach low- and middle-income countries as well as historically marginalized groups within those contexts? History offers lessons for ways to deal with challenges ranging from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine nationalism. What are some of the key takeaways for global coverage and acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine? The issue of trust in public health has posed a problem for decades, and if the global health community can overcome challenges of distribution, there may be

“Green pathways out of poverty? The conflicts and synergies between poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation” Event description: Since the 1970s, if not earlier, it has been taken for granted that there is a trade-off involved between environmental protection and development. Given the gravity of the climate crisis and the particular risk it poses to the world’s poorest people, are there also synergies to be harnessed between those two goals? Faced with the climate crisis, do we need to redefine development? Panelists: Julie Livingston (author of Self-Devouring Growth), Sunil Amrith, Rohini Pande, and Rory Stewart. Moderator: Catherine Cheney.

“Aid, geopolitics, and power: Are human rights back on the international aid agenda?” Event description: Historically, high-income countries have intervened in lower-income countries in a wide variety of ways, from foreign aid and disaster relief, to military support for a preferred government. How can such acts be justified? And what lessons might history offer as the US and UK aid agencies change their structure in pursuit of new priorities? Panelists: Melissa Dell, Samuel Moyn, Rohini Pande, and Rory Stewart. Moderator: Catherine Cheney.

Human density has often been presented as a problem – from mid-twentieth-century fears of a “population explosion” inhibiting development, to contemporary alarm that urban growth is driving the climate crisis. However, both historical and contemporary examples show us that cities can be spaces of biodiversity and provisioning, places where density mitigates sprawl and reduces carbon emissions.In any search for “green” solutions to poverty, cities must play a large role. The sixth Yale Development Dialogue focused on the features of cities that are most conducive to sustainable development, and on those that are not. Panelists: Sunil Amrith, Kate Brown, Edward Glaeser, and Rory Stewart. Moderator: Catherine Cheney.

In the quest for net-zero global carbon emissions, will advances in technology suffice or must we make hard decisions that affect economic growth? And if the traditional methods of growth must drastically change, what should we ask of rich and poor countries? In climate negotiations, lower-income countries have long asserted that they are being asked to sacrifice economic development for a problem largely caused by rich, industrialized nations. Today, Western countries set bold emission targets, even as they continue to import goods manufactured in developing countries at a high environmental cost. And countries like India may increase reliance on coal to help mitigate the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic – even as they set targets for renewable energy production. How will the economic relationships between developed and developing countries influence the path of climate change? What policies are necessary? And when policy fails, what can citizens do to help redu

Time to reimagine sustainable development? On the eve of the UN General Assembly" Event description: The 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on Tuesday, September 14, for leaders from around the world to discuss progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the SDGs marked a move away from traditional economic measures of development to account for broader issues such as just human rights, gender, and the environment. Today they serve not only as standards by which to judge progress, but also as focal points for new ideas on how to solve the world’s greatest challenges. The eighth Yale Development Dialogue focused on how the SDGs hold up in today’s world and how some of the best new ideas in global development might advance progress on the goals. Panelists: Catherine Cheney, Stefan Dercon, Shanta Devarajan, and Rory Stewart

"The urgency for action at COP-26: What will a fair deal look like?" Event description: The 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, also known as COP-26, takes place in the city of Glasgow, Scotland from October 31 to November 12, 2021, after a year's postponement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The question of how to equitably distribute the cost of reducing emissions has been a barrier to global climate action in past meetings. Low-income countries have done relatively little to cause the problem, but are the most vulnerable to the devastating consequences of climate change. Could policies that address the short-term goal of decreasing air pollution be the key to long-term climate action? The ninth Yale Development Dialogue focused on what leaders should consider in trying to reach a “fair deal” for the planet and its people. Panelists: John Haldon, Sunita Narain, Rohini Pande, Nicholas Ryan. Moderator: Catherine Cheney.

Unequal access to the Covid-19 vaccine magnifies long-standing gaps in health equity. Will this crisis propel us into a new discussion of health equity, and change our understanding of the global partnerships needed to achieve it? And how can we draw on lessons from the past in order to design a more equitable future? The 10th Yale Development Dialogue focused on the health and healthcare challenges low-income countries face. Panelists: Sunil Amrith, Anne-Emanuelle Birn, Pascaline Dupas, Dr. Mesfin Teklu Tessema Moderator: Catherine Cheney