New research on Firms, Trade, and Development
By Atl Castro Asmussen
November 30, 2023
How do interactions between markets and firms affect economic growth? Do policymakers face trade-offs in pursuing sustainable growth in underdeveloped markets? Are there empirically grounded strategies for resolving market frictions in these nations?
These questions formed the focus of this year's Firms, Trade, and Development Conference. The event was a collaboration between the EGC and the International Growth Centre at LSE. At Yale, conference organizers included Penny Goldberg (Elihu Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at Yale University and an Affiliate of EGC), Amit Khandelwal (Hahn Professor of Global Affairs and Economics at Yale University), Lauren Falcao Bergquist (Assistant Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at Yale University), and Mayara Felix (Cowles Foundation Postdoctoral Associate). Additional members of the Organizing Committee included David Atkin (Professor of Economics at MIT), Namrata Kala (Associate Professor in Applied Economics at MIT), Isabela Manelici (Assistant Professor of Economics at LSE), Meredith Startz (Assistant Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College), Eric Verhoogen (Professor of Economics at Columbia University), and Chris Woodruff (Professor of Development Economics at Oxford University).
In a piece for the EGC, postdoctoral associate Sagar Saxena and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Research Coordinator Rahul Shukla delved into present scholarship to begin to answer these questions. A common thread in the literature is that policymakers in LMICs face the challenge of solving market and trade frictions, while at the same time having to chart growth paths that are environmentally sustainable.
On October 19, speakers and members of the global community working on firms, markets, trade, institutions, and development in low- and middle-income countries converged on Yale's and the London School of Economics’ respective campuses to engage with these questions over two days. Presentations occurred jointly at Yale and LSE and were live-streamed so participants at both locations could tune in and field questions. Over 149 participants from 38 countries joined virtually, with 52 in-person participants at EGC and 29 at IGC.