Center for International Development at Harvard University (CID)

Blue Sky Conference 2006 at the Center for International Development at Harvard University

Saturday, 9 September 2006

The Blue Sky Conference is designed to stimulate the creation, discussion and dissemination of innovative, well-researched, policy-relevant ideas for development. The ideas are grounded in first-rate research and involve a substantive change in current thinking about an important development policy area. We convene leading scholars, social entrepreneurs, and policymakers to explore new ideas and refine new solutions to pressing development problems.

New! Conference video now available online

Topics:

International Trade Policy	ROBERT LAWRENCE and TATIANA ROSITO: A New Compensation Mechanism for Preference Erosion in the Doha Round. Some developing countries stand to loose big from Doha, as MFN tariff reductions would result in significant erosion of the preferences they currently enjoy. These countries are generally quite poor and fragile. Is there a way to compensate them for this erosion without requiring new resources from developed countries?

Migration Policy	MICHAEL KREMER and STANLEY WATT: The Globalization of Household Production. Many developing countries rely on remittances for a significant fraction of their GDP, yet immigration is coming under increasing political pressure in developed countries due to concerns about its impact on public finances, wages of native low-skill workers, and culture in the host country. Are there types of immigration that could provide sources of savings and remittances to developing countries yet overcome these concerns in developed countries?

Industrial Policy	RICARDO HAUSMANN and DANI RODRIK: Doomed to Choose: Industrial Policy as Predicament. The process of industrial development is rife with coordination failures and informational externalities. How can these failures be identified and evaluated, and more importantly, how can they be overcome in a way that minimizes government failures in intervention?

International Relations and Finance	MICHAEL KREMER, SEEMA JAYACHANDRAN and JONATHAN SHAFTER: Applying the Odious Debts Doctrine while Preserving Legitimate Lending. Trade sanctions are a widely applied tool for international pressure. However, they tend to harm the general population while falling short in affecting the intended targets. What are alternative mechanisms to trade sanctions for putting pressure on rogue governments without resorting to force?

Disaster Management	ASIM IJAZ KHWAJA: (Lunch spotlight) Tools to Plan and Coordinate Disaster Relief. Natural disasters require immediate response, as victims can't wait for centralized coordination. We will discuss a new network-based information system that has effectively collected and disseminated real-time information in the aftermath of Pakistan's earthquake, and explore how it can be expanded worldwide.