Alexander Pick on from protest to progress? Why addressing global discontent is essential to building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic

Alexander Pick presents at the WIDER Seminar Series on 17 November.

Abstract 

Social unrest is on the rise once more. A surge in discontent in the wake of the global financial crisis was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic but is resuming in many places and in various different forms as the pandemic begins to recede. The causes, manifestations and consequences of this discontent is the subject of Perspectives on Global Development 2021: From protest to progress? – a new flagship report by the OECD Development Centre.

In this seminar, Alexander Pick, the lead author of the report, will discuss its key findings about the complexities of discontent, what the phenomenon tells us about the world around us, and what needs to be done to address discontent, at a local, national and international level.

About the speaker

Alexander Pick is head of the New Development Policies and Institutions Unit at the OECD Development Centre, where he also coordinates the Development Centre’s involvement in the OECD’s Revenue Statistics initiative and specialises in social protection financing. Prior to joining the OECD, he worked in the Public Finance division at the South African Treasury from 2009 to 2015, and before that as a UK-based political journalist covering Asia and Latin America. Alexander is a Fellow of the Overseas Development Institute and has a Master’s degree in Economics from University College London as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford.

WIDER Seminar Series

The WIDER Seminar Series showcases the latest research on key topics in development economics. It provides a forum for senior and early-career researchers, both inhouse and external, to present recent and ongoing work related to UNU-WIDER’s current work programme.

In addition to providing a forum for both academic debate and training, the series presents an opportunity for policy makers and others interested in development to learn about the latest research methods and findings.

In autumn 2021, the Seminar Series events take place on Wednesdays from 16:00–17:00. All those interested are invited to register and attend via Zoom.