Rising Inequality in the Global South: Practice and Solutions

Rising Inequality in the Global South: Practice and Solutions

Monday, 19 January 2015 - 12:45pm to 6:00pm
Venue: 
Nissan Institute Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College
Speaker(s): 
Dr. Jay Naidoo, Chair, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
Dr. Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank
Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, CEO of E.L. Rothschild
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International
Mr Kerfalla Yansané, Minister of Mines of the Republic of Guinea
Professor Nora Lustig, Professor of Latin American Economics at Tulane University
Professor Mick Moore, Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies
Nic Cheeseman, Associate Professor in African Politics, University of Oxford.
Convenor: 
Organised by the African Studies Centre and Oxfam

This is the second annual symposium the Centre has co-organised with Oxfam, and an important and exciting event in our calendar.

Agenda

12.45-1.15pm Welcome address

1.15 - 1.15pm Inequality in the global South - evidence and experience

The findings of the latest Global wealth report from Credit Suisse points to economic inequality rising sharply following the financial crisis, particularly in developing countries. What impact is inequality having in the global South? What is the impact of urbanism, rising inequality and patterns of control and ownership of land and productive resources? Is growth coupled with inequality leading to a new authoritarianism in some countries? How is inequality experienced along axes of gender, ethnicity, generational and economic income?

The panel will explore the shape and impact of inequality in the global South, and lessons learned.

3.15-4.45pm Policy solutions: resources, taxation, governance & social spending

Inequality is not inevitable. Economic growth should enable increasing government revenue and social spending to reduce poverty. But states struggle to hold corporate to account, whilst having weak capacity for tax collection and spending; the extraction of natural resources too often fails to contribute to shared national wealth; and lack of transparency and accountability to citizens from states and companies harms social development. What are the solutions? How can policy makers, civil society and corporate better deliver shared growth and what role do global rules and institutions have to play?

The panel will explore solutions to inequality.

A very limited number of places are still avaliable. Please contact Dr Miles Larmer, miles.larmer@history.ox.ac.uk