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Development Roast https://inesad.edu.bo/developmentroast/2012/11/november-wrap-up-from-inesad/ |
November Wrap Up from INESADThe 4th Bolivian Conference on Development Economics: The dominating event this month was the 4th Bolivian Conference on Development Economics (BCDE2012) 1 which was held at the brand new EMI campus in La Paz on the 6th and 7th of November.The Brazilian Embassy kindly hosted a Cocktail Party the evening before the conference to welcome all the presenters coming from 11 different countries on 4 continents. Eduardo Lora from the Inter-American Development Bank opened the conference with a very stimulating keynote lecture on the importance of going beyond facts and incorporate perceptions into economic theory and practice. The second keynote lecture was given by Rodrigo Soares from PUC-Rio who presented convincing evidence that cash transfers to poor families with teenagers in Sao Paola significantly reduce crime.  Out of the 68 submitted papers that we received this year, 45 were selected for presentation in parallel sessions at the conference. Of these, 13 received Travel Awards and 5 received a Best Paper Award from the conference organizers. Nestor Gandelman, the author of the very best paper (Peer Effects in Risk Aversion 2) was appointed Foreign Research Fellow of the Bolivian Academy of Economic Sciences during the award ceremony at the conference farewell party sponsored by the Danish Embassy in La Paz.  During the Conference Dinner, Osvaldo Nina, Executive Director of INESAD, presented Eduardo Lora with a recognition for his lifelong contribution to development economics research in Latin America in general, and for his highly appreciated contribution to the 4th Bolivian Conference on Development Economics in particular. The organizers wish to thank all involved for their important and diverse contributions to yet another successful Bolivian Conference on Development Economics. We hope to see most of you again next year! That also applies to our generous sponsors:
Policy impact: This month has been an important month in the environmental arena. INESAD, through an agreement with Universidad de la Cordillera, has contributed to the development of the Framework Law for Mother Earth and Integral Development for Living Well (Law No. 300 signed by the President of Bolivia on the 15th of October 2012) and will continue working intensely on the more detailed regulations of this law over the next few months. We are especially focusing on the construction of the new institution in charge of climate change and forests, The Plurinational Authority for Mother Earth, the construction of the fund that will handle the money, the Plurinational Fund for Mother Earth, and on the implementation of the Joint Mitigation and Adaptation Mechanism of the Integral and Sustainable Management of Forests (JMAM).The decision of the UN-REDD Policy Board, at their meeting in Brazzaville at the end of October, to support the development of Bolivia's JMAM with US$ 1.2 million was a partial success. It was certainly better than nothing, but if they had respected national decisions and processes, they should have approved the full US$ 4.4 million originally granted to Bolivia for the preparation of a mechanism to reduce deforestation. Bolivia is currently negotiating the exact use of these funds at COP18 in Doha. The outcome of these negotiations will be important for the image of REDD in Bolivia. If UN-REDD decides to spend all the money on international consultants hired by FAO to do technical work on the carbon monitoring system, then the country's worst fears about REDD will be confirmed (namely that all the benefits will go to international consultants and NGOs, while the rights and opinions of the local population are ignored). Hopefully they will be wiser than that. INESAD staff news: We are delighted with the news that two of our junior researchers, Soraya Roman and Joaquin Mayorga, were accepted at their first priority university, PUC-Rio, for doing a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Economics, respectively. This further strengthens the link between INESAD and Rio, where many, if not most, INESAD members have studied at some point in their lives. Congratulations and best wishes to both! INESAD is also pleased to welcome on board a new research and communications intern Tracey Li 3, whose background in particle physics will help extend the multi-disciplinary reach of the institute. Tracey will be contributing occasional articles to Development Roast throughout the rest of 2012 and will come on board more extensively as of January. Click to read her first contribution: Ecocide: The 5th Crime Against Peace? 4Publications:November has been a very prolific month on Development Roast. This month's theme of Environmental Accounting and Sustainability has generated very interesting discussion. Guest Roaster and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, Michaal Jacobs, shed a light on the battle for green growth in academic, policy and corporate circles 5. Guest Roaster and author of the book EcoCommerce 101, Tim Gieseke, introduced a new concept of symbiotic demand 6, arguing for an unusual market-led mechanism to encourage delivery of ecosystem services and thus maintaining biodiversity and building sustainability. Allan Spessoto took a look at the theories behind arguments for national environmental accounting 7. Mieke Dale-Harris debated whether or not import-export restrictions are the right tool for achieving food security in Bolivia 8. Adam Nelson criticized the Government of Belize for prioritizing environmental protection over the sustainability of livelihoods of the Maya peoples of the country 9, arguing that both could have been achieved through combined policies. And Ioulia Fenton took a look at whether it is the culture or the law that matters more in driving socio-environmental change. This month also launched our Live Research Bulletin, a series of posts that inform our readers of research currently underway at INESAD and our preliminary findings. Right now our researchers are putting together a bibliography and working paper on global efforts at greening national accounts and November has elucidated the state of environmental accounting in Europe and in North America 10. Stay put for December when we share what has been happening across Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, North Africa and the Middle East and the rest of the world. We also launched our Theory Bites series, a flow of articles that aim to make development a little easier to digest by explaining different theoretical approaches in accessible and understandable ways. Allan Spessoto kick started the discussions with his look at Development, Underdevelopment and Dependency theories 11 and Guest Roaster Edvin Arnby Machata wrote an excellent two-part review that showed how much state formation has been the result of war and asked can war create states today? The Monday Graphics Series included critical assessments of infographics demonstrating evidence for global warming 12, giving reasons for protection of ecosystems and the services they provide, showing the state of pollution and innovation efforts in Latin America 13, and those claiming corporate social and environment sustainability.  Dr. Lykke Andersen achieved a phenomenal milestone by publishing her 100th Development Roast article that asked are we experiencing The end of growth? Ioulia Fenton published an article about the role of remote interns at research institutes 14 in the institutional blog On Think Tanks. And Development Roast posted several other articles too, including:Five Types of Rainforest Ecosystem Services that Nourish People and Planet 15, By Ioulia Fenton There are no country-bumpkin economists: A problem for economic research institutes, By Mieke Dale-Harris How ‘sustainable' is sustainable development in the corporate world? By Carolynn Look Powering the forest sector in Bolivia with renewable energy, By Miguel Rodríguez Tejerina We try to protect the biosphere, but what about the Ethnosphere? By Adam Nelson Stay with us in December, a month dedicated to Inspiration. |
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