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Conference

Handbook of Development Economics Conference

This conference will bring together contributors to the upcoming edition of the Handbook of Development Economics and other experts to discuss current insights on critical issues in development economics.

Event description

The Handbook of Development Economics serves as a seminal reference text, bringing together in-depth analyses from leading scholars and covering a wide range of development challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries. Economists Rohini Pande, Penny Goldberg, and Pascaline Dupas are co-editing the upcoming (sixth) edition of the Handbook of Development Economics, which will include 15 chapters on a range of pressing topics, from technology and international trade to state capacity and climate change, by pioneering researchers who have advanced the frontiers of knowledge in these domains.

On September 4-5, 2025, the Yale Economic Growth Center and Yale Inclusion Economics, in collaboration with the MacMillan Center’s South Asian Studies Council, are organizing a Handbook Conference hosted at Yale University. Each session will spotlight a chapter from the forthcoming Handbook, featuring a presentation by one of the chapter’s authors on their in-progress work, highlighting key learnings and takeaways, and reflecting on the broader literature. Presentations will be followed by discussant remarks and open discussion.

Given the evolving nature of the international development landscape, this convening will provide an opportunity to take stock of the lessons we have learnt, highlight the progress we have made in different domains and regions - from sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia - alongside identifying key policy-relevant challenges and questions for future research.

Event details

  • Handbook of Development Economics Conference
  • Date: September 4-5, 2025
  • Organizers: Yale Economic Growth Center, Yale Inclusion Economics, MacMillan Center South Asian Studies Council
  • Location: On campus, Yale University

Conference Program

Day 1: Thursday September 4, 2025

Registration & Coffee (10:30 am - 11:00 am)

Opening Remarks (11:00 am - 11:15 am)

Session 1: A Geographical Perspective (11:15 am - 12:00 pm)

Session 2: Appropriate Development (12:00 pm - 12:45 pm)

Session 3: Technology and Economic Development (12:45 pm - 1:30 pm)

Lunch Break (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm)

Session 4: The Changing Nature of Globalization and its Implications for Development (2:30 pm - 3:15 pm)

Session 5: Development and the Environment (3:15 pm - 4:00 pm)

Session 6: Politics and Policy When State Capacity is Low (4:00 pm - 4:45 pm)

Coffee Break (4:45 pm - 5:15 pm)

Session 7: Poverty Traps (5:15 pm - 6:00 pm)

Session 8: Conflict (6:00 pm - 6:45 pm)

Day 2: Friday, September 5, 2025

Registration & Coffee (8:30 am - 9:00 am)

Session 9: The Industrial Organization of Growth in Developing Countries (Market Structure and Market Imperfections) (9:00 am - 9:45 am)

Session 10: Social Markets: The Economics of Education and Health Markets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (9:45 am - 10:30 am)

Coffee Break (10:30 am - 10:50 am)

Session 11: Human Capital and Development (10:50 am - 11:35 am)

Session 12: Gender Norms and Development (11:35 am - 12:20 pm)

Lunch Break (12:20 pm - 1:20 pm)

Session 13: Psychology and Development (1:20 pm - 2:05 pm)

Session 14: Social Protection (2:05 pm - 2:50 pm)

Coffee Break (2:50 pm - 3:15 pm)

Session 15: The Changing Nature of Growth: Implications for Structural Transformation and Inequality (3:15 pm - 4:00 pm)

Closing Remarks (4:00 pm - 4:15 pm)