Jul

22 - 25

2025

HYBRID

8:00—2:30 PM ET

World Bank (Day 1-4)

Preston Auditorium

Washington, DC

EVENTS | CONFERENCE

Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics 2025: Development in the Age of Populism

Co-hosted with:

By most measures of human progress, the world is in better shape today than it has ever been—in life expectancy, in per capita GDP, in literacy rates, among other things. Yet, profound dissatisfaction has taken root in many countries, at every level of income. The global economic system that has powered much of this progress over the last 80 years is now widely regarded as broken. Nearly two-thirds of the global electorate went to the polls last year to register their displeasure regarding income inequality, cultural insecurity, and elite institutions.

Populism, in short, is ascendant to an unusually synchronized degree, fueled by a fragmenting public consensus on the policies needed for economic progress. It will pose a formidable development challenge in the coming years.

ABCDE—scheduled for July 22 to 25 and organized by the World Bank in conjunction with the Center for Global Development and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy—aims to assess the developments during the last decade, analyze the causes, and adjust our approach to economic progress.

Bringing together some of the world’s leading economic thinkers, the conference will help identify the best way forward—with deep dives on key topics such as artificial intelligence, migration, nutrition and health, and pollution, and a geographical focus that spans the world. Attendees will explore geopolitical shifts; unilateralism and multilateralism; and growth and opportunity.

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Topics

Climate and Energy

Poverty and Inequality

Governments and Development

Trade

Education and Child Well-Being

Sustainable Development Finance

World Bank

Migration

Related Work

Blog Post

Populist Rhetoric, Poverty Realities

Eeshani Kandpal

August 05, 2025
CGD NOTE

Stanley Fischer and the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics: A Tribute

Shekhar Shah

July 22, 2025
SPEECH

The End of Development Cooperation?

Masood Ahmed

July 22, 2025
Blog Post

Development in the Age of Populism

Rachel Glennerster et al.

June 02, 2025
Event

Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics 2024

HYBRID
July 09, 2024
8:00—6:00 PM EDT

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8:00 – 9:00 ET	Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – 9:15 ET	Welcome Remarks Indermit S. Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics
9:15 – 9:45 ET	Opening Address: The End of Development Cooperation? Masood Ahmed, President Emeritus of the Center for Global Development (CGD)
9:45 – 10:30 ET	Keynote Address Mohamed El-Erian, President of Queens’ College at Cambridge University
10:30 – 11:15 ET	Plenary Panel: Development in the Age of Populism Panelists: Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics Rachel Glennerster, President of the Center for Global Development (CGD) Danny Quah, Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Moderator: Justin Sandefur, Lead for Economic Growth, LMIC Program, Open Philanthropy
11:15 – 11:30 ET	Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:10 ET	Session 1: Reviving Multilateralism Keynote Address: Danny Quah, Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Panelists: Paper 1: Multilateralism: Whenever We Can or Only When We Must?, Masood Ahmed, President Emeritus of the Center for Global Development (CGD) Paper 2: Regionalism and Multilateralism: Southeast Asia, Selina Ho, National University of Singapore Paper 3: Asia-Pacific Growth and the Changing International System, Xinquan Tu, University of International Business and Economics Chair: Matteo Bugamelli, Executive Director, World Bank
13:10 – 14:30 ET	Lunch Break
14:30 – 16:00 ET	Session 2: Artificial Intelligence Panelists: Paper 1: AI as Normal Technology, Arvind Narayanan, Princeton University Paper 2: How does Competition Policy Need to Change in a World of Artificial Intelligence?, Catherine Tucker, MIT Paper 3: Could AI Leapfrog the Web? Evidence from Teachers in Sierra Leone, Daniel Björkegren, Columbia University Discussant: Han Sheng Chia, Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development (CGD) Chair: Gaurav Nayyar, Director of the WDR 2026, World Bank
16:00 – 16:15 ET	Coffee Break
16:15 – 17:45 ET	Session 3: Pollution Panelists: Paper 1: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Ex-Post Evaluations on the Effectiveness of Carbon Pricing, Jan Steckel, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change Paper 2: Quality of Carbon Credit Projects and Alternative Methods to Finance Sequestration, Barbara Haya, UC Berkeley Paper 3: Can Pollution Markets Work in Developing Countries? Experimental Evidence from India, Kaushik Deb, EPIC India Discussant: Carolyn Fisher, Lead Economist and Research Manager, Development Research Group, World Bank Chair: Somik Lall, Senior Adviser, Office of the Chief Economist and Director of Development Policy, World Bank

8:00 – 9:00 ET	Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30 ET	Stanley Fischer Memorial Lecture: Geopolitics and Development Robert B. Zoellick, former President of the World Bank Group (2007-12), former Deputy Secretary of State (2005-06), former U.S. Trade Representative (2001-05)
9:30 – 11:00 ET	Session 4: Geopolitical Shifts Panelists: Paper 1: Geopolitical Shifts and New Strategic Directions in Northeast Asia, Shin-wha Lee, Korea University Paper 2: Migration and Geopolitical Shifts, Saravana Ravindran, National University of Singapore Paper 3: Industrial Policy, Trade, and Geopolitical Shifts, Heiwai Tang, University of Hong Kong Chair: Aaditya Mattoo, Chief Economist, East Asia and Pacific; World Bank
11:00 – 11:15 ET	Coffee Break
11:15 – 11:45 ET	ABCDE 2025 Lecture Indermit S. Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics
11:45 – 13:15 ET	Session 5: Africa Growth and Opportunity Panelists: Matteo Bugamelli, Executive Director, World Bank Andrew Dabalen, Chief Economist of the World Bank's Africa Region Amb. Robin Renee Sanders, CEO of FEEEDS & FE3DS, LLC and Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo Johan Swinnen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute Leonard Wantchekon, James Madison Professor of Political Economy at Princeton University Chair: Gero Carletto, Senior Manager in the Development Data Group at the World Bank
13:15 – 14:45 ET	Lunch Break
14:45 – 16:00 ET	A Book Talk with Keyu Jin The New China Playbook Beyond Socialism and Capitalism Keyu Jin, Professor of Finance, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Chair: Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics

8:30 – 9:30 ET	Registration and Breakfast
9:30 – 9:45 ET	Opening Remarks Rachel Glennerster, President of the Center for Global Development (CGD)
9:45 – 11:15 ET	Plenary Panel: Poverty, Education, and Health in an Era of Unilateralism, Conflict, and Climate Change Panelists: Paper 1: Trends in Health, Education, and Poverty Reduction in LMICs, Tom Vogl, University of California San Diego View the presentation slides Paper 2: The Role of Safety Nets in Times of Uncertainty and Polycrises, Rema Hanna, Harvard University View the presentation slides Paper 3: Public Finances and Service Delivery, Shanta Devarajan, Georgetown University View the presentation slides Paper 4: The Role of Voter Preferences in Shaping Policy Outcomes, Laura Schechter, University of Wisconsin-Madison View the presentation slides Chair: Rachel Glennerster, President of the Center for Global Development (CGD)
11:15 – 11:45 ET	Coffee Break
11:45 – 13:00 ET	A Fireside Chat with Indermit Gill and Arvind Panagariya: India’s Economic Progress and What It Means For The Global Economy Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the Sixteenth Finance Commission of India Chair: Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics
13:00 – 14:00 ET	Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30 ET	Session 6: How can Development Economics Meet the Moment? Practice, Research, and Teaching in a Time of Unilateralism and Polycrisis Panelists: Oriana Bandiera, Sir Anthony Atkinson Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics Jishnu Das, Professor of Public Policy, McCourt School of Public Policy & Walsh School of Foreign Service at the Georgetown University Leonard Wantchekon, James Madison Professor of Political Economy at Princeton University Chair: Markus Goldstein, Vice President of the Center for Global Development (CGD) View the presentation slides
15:30 – 16:00 ET	Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 ET	Session 7: Education Policy Panelists: Paper 1: The Global Distribution of Skills, Dev Patel, Harvard University View the presentation slides Paper 2: Cognitive Endurance as Human Capital, Christina Brown, University of Chicago View the presentation slides Paper 3: Lead Exposure and Learning Outcome Stagnation, Lee Crawfurd, Center for Global Development (CGD) View the presentation slides Paper 4: Advancing the Measurement of Violence in and around Schools, Gabriela Smarrelli, Center for Global Development (CGD) View the presentation slides Chair: Deon Filmer, Director of the DECRG, World Bank
17:30 – 19:00 ET	Cocktail Reception

8:15 – 9:00 ET	Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 ET	Session 8: Agricultural Markets and Nutrition Panelists: Paper 1: Overview of Agricultural Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chris Barrett, Cornell University View the presentation slides Paper 2: Poverty Measurement and the Cost of Healthy Diets, William A. Masters, Tufts University View the presentation slides Paper 3: Intergenerational Effects of Early Childhood Shocks, Kibrom Tafere, World Bank View the presentation slides Paper 4: Food Subsidies to Producers and Consumers and Their Impacts on Child Nutrition, Kathy Baylis, UC Santa Barbara View the presentation slides Chair: Eeshani Kandpal, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development (CGD)
10:30 – 11:00 ET	Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:15 ET	Session 9: Migration Panelists: Paper 1: Skills, Labor Market Shifts, and International Migration, Çağlar Özden, World Bank View the presentation slides Paper 2: Development Impacts on the Sending Country, Caroline B. Theoharides, Amherst College View the presentation slides Andrew Selee, President of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Chair: Dany Bahar, Senior Fellow and Director of the Migration, Displacement, and Humanitarian Policy, Center for Global Development (CGD) View the presentation slides
12:15 – 12:45 ET	Closing Remarks and Presentation of Human Development Flagship Report Mamta Murthi, Vice President for People Vice Presidency at the World Bank
12:45 – 13:00 ET	Fireside Chat between David Evans and Mamta Murthi Mamta Murthi, Vice President for People Vice Presidency at the World Bank David Evans, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development
13:00 – 14:30 ET	Lunch

Jul

22 - 25

2025

HYBRID

8:00—2:30 PM ET

World Bank (Day 1-4)

Preston Auditorium

Washington, DC

EVENTS | CONFERENCE

Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics 2025: Development in the Age of Populism

Co-hosted with:

8:00 – 9:00 ET

Registration and Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 ET

Welcome Remarks

9:15 – 9:45 ET

Opening Address: The End of Development Cooperation?

9:45 – 10:30 ET

Keynote Address

10:30 – 11:15 ET

Plenary Panel: Development in the Age of Populism

11:15 – 11:30 ET

Coffee Break

11:30 – 13:10 ET

Session 1: Reviving Multilateralism

Keynote Address:

13:10 – 14:30 ET

Lunch Break

14:30 – 16:00 ET

Session 2: Artificial Intelligence

16:00 – 16:15 ET

Coffee Break

16:15 – 17:45 ET

Session 3: Pollution

8:00 – 9:00 ET

Registration and Breakfast

9:00 – 9:30 ET

Stanley Fischer Memorial Lecture: Geopolitics and Development

9:30 – 11:00 ET

Session 4: Geopolitical Shifts

11:00 – 11:15 ET

Coffee Break

11:15 – 11:45 ET

ABCDE 2025 Lecture

11:45 – 13:15 ET

Session 5: Africa Growth and Opportunity

13:15 – 14:45 ET

Lunch Break

14:45 – 16:00 ET

A Book Talk with Keyu Jin

The New China Playbook Beyond Socialism and Capitalism

8:30 – 9:30 ET

Registration and Breakfast

9:30 – 9:45 ET

Opening Remarks

9:45 – 11:15 ET

Plenary Panel: Poverty, Education, and Health in an Era of Unilateralism, Conflict, and Climate Change

11:15 – 11:45 ET

Coffee Break

11:45 – 13:00 ET

A Fireside Chat with Indermit Gill and Arvind Panagariya: India’s Economic Progress and What It Means For The Global Economy

13:00 – 14:00 ET

Lunch Break

14:00 – 15:30 ET

Session 6: How can Development Economics Meet the Moment? Practice, Research, and Teaching in a Time of Unilateralism and Polycrisis

15:30 – 16:00 ET

Coffee Break

16:00 – 17:30 ET

Session 7: Education Policy

17:30 – 19:00 ET

Cocktail Reception

8:15 – 9:00 ET

Registration and Breakfast

9:00 – 10:30 ET

Session 8: Agricultural Markets and Nutrition

10:30 – 11:00 ET

Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:15 ET

Session 9: Migration

12:15 – 12:45 ET