UNU-WIDER WIDER Jubilee Conference WIDER Thinking Ahead: the Future of Development Economics

The twenty years since the World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) was established in 1985 have seen major changes in the world economy with profound implications for the developing world and for development economics. In June 2005, leading researchers and policymakers will meet in Helsinki to mark WIDER’s jubilee anniversary, and to reflect upon where we now stand in development economics and what the next two decades might hold. The conference will highlight new and emerging issues in development, how research can best address these questions, and the promising methodologies that can push the frontiers of research and practice forward.

The two-day conference will span a broad range of topics, including growth, trade and finance for development; poverty and inequality; strategies for poverty reduction; conflict; and economic policy-making for development. Presentations will deal not only with current research issues but will also identify the challenges and dilemmas which are likely to occupy researchers and policymakers.