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Growth, Productivity, and Gender in Asia: Theoretical Connections and Empirical Evidence
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The ADB's External Forum on Gender (EFG agreed to organize for ADB staff two seminars on gender issues relevant to ADB operations. The topics for these seminars are: (a) gender and macroeconomic policy and (b) gender and post-conflict reconstruction.
The EFG requested Caren Grown, EFG Member and Director of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth Team at the International Center for Research on Women, to coordinate and organize the seminar on gender and macroeconomics. For the past 10 years, Dr. Grown has co-coordinated (with Nilufer Cagatay at the University of Utah) and Diane Elson (at the University of Essex) an International Working Group on Gender and Macroeconomics. An international network of about 30- 35 economists, the International Working Group on Gender, Macroeconomics and International Economics (IWG hereafter) seeks to develop new theoretical and empirical analyses of the gender dimensions of macroeconomic and international trade models, and to analyze the implications of these models for specific macroeconomic policy issues such as trade liberalization and structural adjustment.
Since 1994, the IWG has supported three types of research: conceptual work and formal modeling of the gender dimensions of economic growth, investment, and trade; empirical work on the links between macroeconomic variables and gender relations, including country case studies and cross-country econometric analyses relating gender inequalities to growth, the rate of productivity growth, and patterns of trade and country case studies; and policy analyses of the multilateral economic institutions, such as the WTO, the IMF, and the various regional development banks. Much of the research conducted by participants in the project has been published in two special issues of the journal, World Development, which appeared in November 1995 and July 2000.
Members of the IWG have provided analytical support to various United Nations agencies in their gender mainstreaming efforts. Their work has been cited in a number of United Nations reports, including reports of the Secretary General. The members of the group have made numerous presentations within the United Nations meetings, including the recent CSW meeting, World Bank conferences, and other international fora.
The objective of the seminar is to familiarize ADB staff with on-going research in the area of gender and macroeconomics. Specific focus will be on the gender dimensions of international trade, growth, and fiscal and monetary policy. ADB's EFG, in coordination with RSPR, will organize the two seminars at ADB, to be conducted by the IWG, to coincide with the scheduled November Session of the EFG in Manila.
The first seminar will be tailored for ADB staff in general to discuss three issues: (i) gender inequality and economic growth in East Asia, (ii) trade liberalization, gender and employment in South Asia, and (iii) gender and fiscal policy in the Asia-Pacific region. Three members (economists) of the IWG have been invited to speak about research findings and policy and program implications.
The second seminar will be focused on technical papers and will be oriented and tailored specifically for the research and operational economists in the ADB. The goal of this seminar will be to provide an overview of research on these topics and knowledge gaps that need to be filled at the country and regional level.
Three economists have been invited to present their work; two have already confirmed their participation in the seminar. Dr. Jayati Ghosh is an economist at JNU in New Delhi, India and a collaborating researcher with UNRISD. She will discuss gender, trade liberalization and employment in South Asia. Dr. Stephanie Seguino, an economist at the University of Vermont, will discuss her work on gender inequality and economic growth in East Asia, and the role for policies that promote both gender equality and growth. The third invited speaker is Dr. Caren Grown who will speak on Alternatives for Engendering Macroeconomic Policies.
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